Enbridge begins work on Line 5 reroute as tribe continues court fight

By JIMMY NESBITT

Special to The Daily Reporter

Work has begun on Enbridge‘s proposed 41-mile reroute of the Line 5 oil pipeline, following years of legal and regulatory disputes.

Site work is underway in Ashland, and crews are focusing on clearing and preparations at construction yards, Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner said in an email.

“More mobilization will take place after road bans are lifted,” she said.

The Line 5 reroute would arc around the Bad River Reservation, whose tribal government is still fighting the project. In February, the Bad River Band filed a petition in the Iron County Circuit Court seeking judicial review of the state permits that allow Enbridge to build the reroute.

The tribe and allied environmental groups contend the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wrongly issued key permits and an environmental review allowing construction upstream of the reservation. The filing says the project could disturb more than 100 acres of wetlands and hundreds of waterways and poses risks to water quality, wildlife and treaty-protected resources.

Enbridge and supporters argue that the project has gone through years of permitting and environmental review, and that regulators determined the project complies with state law.

In a Feb. 24 news release, Enbridge noted that the project will create more than 700 union jobs and bring millions of dollars in construction-related spending to Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties.

The Canadian energy infrastructure company initially submitted permit applications to state and federal regulators in early 2020 for the relocation project. A Wisconsin administrative law judge upheld the project’s state permits on Feb. 13, clearing a key hurdle for construction.

Line 5 supplies crude oil and natural-gas liquids to about 10 refineries and propane distribution facilities, helping provide fuel used by millions of people in the Midwest and Great Lakes region.