Tribe and environmental groups urge Wisconsin officials to rule against relocating pipeline

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A tribal leader and conservationists urged state officials Thursday to reject plans to relocate part of an aging northern Wisconsin pipeline, warning that the threat of a catastrophic spill would still exist along the new route.

About 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Enbridge Line 5 pipeline runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The pipeline transports up to 23 million gallons (about 87 million liters) of oil and natural gas daily from the city of Superior, Wisconsin, through Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario.

The tribe sued Enbridge in 2019 to force the company to remove the pipeline from the reservation, arguing the 71-year-old line is prone to a catastrophic spill and land easements allowing Enbridge to operate on the reservation expired in 2013.

Enbridge has proposed a 41-mile (66 kilometer) reroute around the reservation’s southern border. The project requires permits from multiple government agencies, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Part of the permitting process calls for the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, a division within Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration, to rule on whether the reroute complies with state coastal protection policies.

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