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Wisconsin tribe suing to shut down Line 5

ODANAH, WI (MPRN)--    A tribe in northern Wisconsin is suing Enbridge Energy to try to force the closure of Line 5.

Dylan Jennings is a council member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He says the pipeline threatens a fragile watershed.

“There's a river channel which is migrating towards the pipeline at an alarming rate, which means that it's getting really dangerously close to being exposed,” he says.

The lawsuit says Enbridge's easements through the tribe's reservation have expired, but Enbridge claims the "vast majority" of its easements either do not expire until 2043, or are perpetual ones on private land.

The state of Michigan is also suing Enbridge to try to get Line 5 shut down.

Tribes near the Straits of Mackinac have also called for the line to be shut down.

Tracy Samilton covers the auto beat for Michigan Radio. She has worked for the station for 12 years, and started out as an intern before becoming a part-time and, later, a full-time reporter. Tracy's reports on the auto industry can frequently be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as on Michigan Radio. She considers her coverage of the landmark lawsuit against the University of Michigan for its use of affirmative action a highlight of her reporting career.