WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a legal fight over Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline will remain in Michigan state court, siding with Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel in a closely watched jurisdiction dispute. The justices unanimously found that Enbridge missed the legal deadline to move the case to federal court, meaning the state’s lawsuit stays where it was originally filed.

What the case is about.

At the center of the dispute is Line 5, a pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac and transports oil and natural gas liquids between Wisconsin and Canada. Democratic Michigan officials, including Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, argue that the decades-old pipeline poses a significant environmental risk to the Great Lakes and seek to shut it down. Enbridge maintains that the line is safe and essential to regional energy supplies, including fuel and propane.

What the ruling means.

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The Supreme Court’s decision does not determine the fate of the pipeline itself. Instead, it resolves a procedural issue about where Nessel’s case – filed in 2019 to shut down the pipeline’s lakebed segment – should be heard. By keeping the case in state court, the ruling allows Michigan to continue pursuing its claims under state law.

What comes next.

The broader legal battle over Line 5 is far from over. Additional cases in both state and federal courts will continue to shape the pipeline’s future.

Nessel said in a press release about the decision, ”

This unanimous ruling from the United States Supreme Court makes emphatically clear that our lawsuit against Enbridge belongs before the state court, where we’ve argued since 2019 that Line 5 does not have a legal right to the Straits bottomlands.” She added, “For far too long, following years of Enbridge’s delay tactics, the fear of a catastrophic spill from Line 5 has haunted our state, threatening to turn our most vital natural resource into a man-made disaster. I will continue to defend Michigan residents and our environment with every tool at our disposal to ensure our Great Lakes are safe for generations to come.”

Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy says that the company expects to prevail in its arguments to keep the line operating.