Sixth Circuit Pushes Michigan, Enbridge on Line 5 Shutdown Fight

Sixth Circuit judges on Tuesday questioned what power Michigan would retain if Enbridge Inc.—which operates the aging Line 5 oil and gas pipeline—obtained a judge’s order that prevented the state from shutting it down.

Judge Rachel S. Bloomekatz pushed Enbridge’s attorney on what power Michigan officials retained in that situation regarding the four-mile stretch of land and water where the 645-mile pipeline crosses the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron.

“It strikes me here that the injunction that Enbridge has asked for is extraordinarily broad,” the Biden appointee said to Mark C. Savignac of Steptoe LLC. ...