"MADISON, Wis. — Energy company Enbridge has finally started work on rerouting an aging oil pipeline around a tribal reservation in northern Wisconsin after seven years of legal wrangling, moving ahead despite two new lawsuits that still could delay the project indefinitely.
About 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior’s reservation along the shores of Lake Superior. The tribe sued Enbridge in 2019 to force the company to remove the section from its land, arguing land easements allowing operation expired six years earlier and the 73-year-old pipeline was prone to a catastrophic spill.
A judge in 2023 gave the company until this June to remove the segment from the reservation. The Bad River and conservation groups want the line completely shut down and have kept the reroute project tied up with legal challenges. An administrative law judge upheld Enbridge’s state wetlands permit on Feb. 13, removing the project’s last legal hurdle and clearing the way for construction."
Todd Richmond reports for the Associated Press February 25, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"The Supreme Court Hears A Line 5 Oil Pipeline Case With High Stakes For Treaty Rights" (Grist)
