September 09, 2026
Today, Michigan Governor Whitmer called for Line 5 to be shut down under the Straits of Mackinac. This is in the wake of the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling that the permit needs more robust environmental review and an analysis of the alternatives.
At the end of July, the Michigan Supreme Court handed down a 6-1 decision that sided with environmental and Tribal groups in their combined cases that challenged Enbridge Energy’s efforts to bore a tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac to house its Line 5 oil pipeline. The Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that upheld the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) approval for the tunnel. The decision reverts the case back to the MPSC for a more thorough review of the tunnel’s impact on Michiganders and the environment, as required by the landmark Michigan Environmental Protection Act (MEPA).
Statement by ELPC Senior Attorney, David Scott:
“The Great Lakes are our most precious freshwater resource. We have to ensure they receive the fullest protection of the law. The Michigan Supreme Court, in an appeal brought by ELPC and our partners, sent a clear message in its July 31 opinion that Michigan law requires a robust environmental review and analysis of alternatives to Enbridge’s proposal to build an oil pipeline tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac.
We agree with the statements from Governor Whitmer and Director Roos today about the significance of the Court’s opinion. An oil pipeline in the Great Lakes has never been a good idea. There are alternatives, as the Governor said, and Michigan’s decisionmakers and Enbridge need to focus on those alternatives.”