A Great Lakes power pipeline around Michigan was ordered closed on Thursday.
A judge granted a request from the state after the owner reported problems with a support piece far below the surface.
Enbridge Inc. has not provided sufficient information to Michigan officials to demonstrate that the continued operation of the western section of the Line 5 twin pipeline is safe, Ingham County Judge James Jamo said.
He told Enbridge to close line 5 “as soon as possible” but within 24 hours at the latest.
Without the temporary order, “the risk of harm to the Great Lakes and various communities and businesses that depend on the Great Lakes would be not only substantial but also in some respects irreparable,” the judge said.
There were no immediate comments from Enbridge, a Canadian company based in Calgary, Alberta.
Enbridge Line 5 transports petroleum and natural gas liquids used in propane from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. A four-mile segment is divided into two pipelines at the bottom of the Mackinac Sound, connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.
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Enbridge Inc. has not provided sufficient information to Michigan officials to demonstrate that the continued operation of the western section of the Line 5 twin pipeline is safe, Ingham County Judge James Jamo said.
Enbridge last week said that an anchor bracket on the east leg of the pipeline had changed. The company said line 5 itself was not broken and no oil was spilled into the water.
The east leg remains closed, but Enbridge resumed flow on the west line on Saturday.
The judge said he will hold a hearing Tuesday on the state’s request for a preliminary injunction that, if granted, could keep Line 5 closed indefinitely.
“With the continued operation of this pipeline, the risk of severe and lasting environmental damage to Michigan’s most important natural resource continues to grow every day,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Line 5 delivers 65 percent of the propane that heats homes in the Upper Peninsula and 55 percent of Michigan’s propane needs, according to Enbridge. It has been operating since 1953.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer criticized the restart of the western stretch of Line 5, calling it “blatant disregard for the people of Michigan” and the safety of the Great Lakes.
Enbridge finally wants to put the twin pipes in a tunnel to protect them.
The project was approved in 2018 by a Republican administration before Nessel and Whitmer, both Democrats, took office.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
