Enbridge

The aging pipeline carries oil and natural-gas liquids through the Straits of Mackinac, where opponents fear a spill could devastate the Great Lakes

The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Michigan Public Service Commission erred when it granted a key permit for the Line 5 petroleum pipeline tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac

Environmental groups have long warned an accident could cause an oil spill in the Straits, threatening the Great Lakes

State agencies in Michigan on Wednesday issued key permits for the controversial Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac, concluding the project’s benefits outweigh drawbacks

The permit is the latest step in a yearslong debate over the aging pipeline and the risk of an oil spill

Justices heard arguments over whether state regulators properly approved a plan to house the pipeline in a protective tunnel beneath the lakebed

The Bad River Band is fighting to stop Line 5 and protect its watershed. Meanwhile, local sheriffs are already tallying the cost of riot gear.

The dispute is part of a broader fight over Enbridge’s plan to build a four-mile tunnel for its aging Line 5 pipeline, an $800 million project the company said would be safer for the Great Lakes.

One of the attorney’s representing the Bad River band feels such decisions endanger important public resources

The tribe claims the Corps' permitting approval for Canadian oil company Enbridge’s construction of a 41-mile pipeline relocation project is unlawful