MADISON, WI (AP)— After years of legal wrangling, energy company Enbridge has finally started rerouting an aging oil pipeline around a tribal reservation in northern Wisconsin.
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior sued Enbridge in 2019 to force the company to remove about 12 miles of Line 5 that crosses their reservation. A judge gave the company until this June to comply.
Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner said workers began clearing trees Tuesday for a new 41-mile segment that circumvents the reservation. The tribe and conservationists filed separate lawsuits over the last week seeking orders that would immediately halt the work, saying the construction will irreparably harm the environment. But the judges in both cases have yet to take any action.
