INTERLOCHEN, MI— Michigan courts get to decide the future of the Line 5 pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that the case belongs in state court, not federal court.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that Line 5’s owner Enbridge Energy waited too long to move the case to federal court.
Liz Kirkwood leads the legal nonprofit FLOW.
She says this is a win for the push to shut down the oil and natural gas liquids pipeline.
“This ruling shows that Enbridge, just like every other defendant, is subject to the strict court procedures and rules, and even a multinational corporation can't get rid of these procedural rules, as pesky as they may be.”
Enbridge preferred federal court because of international agreements and federal pipeline laws.
Michigan attorneys say this is a state issue concerning public water and land.