Michigan, Enbridge Square Off Over Contested Pipeline/Tunnel Plan

After 5 years of jurisdictional wrangling, the Canadian operator and state attorneys got their day in court in a 4-hour hearing that could have national impact.

Fresh nuts, bolts and fittings are ready to be added to the east leg of the pipeline near St. Ignace as Enbridge prepares to test the east and west sides of the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac in Mackinaw City, Mich., on June 8, 2017. The Canadian Press/AP, Detroit News-Dale G. Young

It’s taken five years, but Michigan’s claim that states have a significant regulatory role in pipeline permitting is now in the hands of a judge whose ruling following a four-hour hearing on Jan. 27 could set the stage for similar challenges nationwide.

There are more than 2.6 million miles of oil/gas pipelines crisscrossing the United States, with 71 networks spanning the nation’s border with Canada, meaning they’re primarily regulated under federal law and by treaties between the neighboring countries.