In a surprise reversal of policy, the administration of US President Joe Biden has urged a federal appeals court to reconsider an order shutting down the Enbridge Line 5 main oil pipeline in Michigan.A federal judge did not properly weigh the international implications of a Line 5 shutdown when he ordered Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. to remove its oil pipeline from native American lands in Wisconsin, the US government wrote in a 70-page court brief to the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court that was filed on Monday, but made public Wednesday..“The operation of that pipeline has implications for the trade and diplomatic relationship between the two countries, as well as economic and energy-supply implications,"Biden Administration.The US government — which is not a party to the case — said the lower court was correct to find Enbridge guilty of trespassing on tribal land, but said the court should reconsider its decision ordering the company to stop operating portions of the pipeline by 2026 because it would violate a 1977 treaty between the US and Canada to keep the oil flowing.“The operation of that pipeline has implications for the trade and diplomatic relationship between the two countries, as well as economic and energy-supply implications," the Biden administration said in its amicus brief.The Enbridge mainline, which originates at Hardisty near Edmonton, is the world’s longest oil transportation system, running some 26,000 km to Thunder Bay, before dipping into Superior WI and back up again into Southern Ontario near the refining hub in Sarnia..The pipeline carries about 540,000 barrels per day to refineries in Canada and Ohio and supplies Michigan with almost all of its propane.The Canadian government, which is also not a party to the case, had previously argued in an amicus brief that the pipeline should be kept open due to the treaty, otherwise the vast majority of oil supplied to Ontario — as well as the US Midwest — would be put at risk..The lawsuit was filed in 2019 by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Enbridge has argued shutting the 70-year-old pipeline would not be in the public interest of either country and has offered the Band USD$80 million to settle the dispute while it finds alternate routes around the land in question.In a statement Bad River Chairman — chief — Robert Blanchard said the tribe is “grateful” the US government agrees Enbridge is operating on tribal land unlawfully, but is "disappointed that the US has not unequivocally called for an immediate end to Enbridge's ongoing trespass."
In a surprise reversal of policy, the administration of US President Joe Biden has urged a federal appeals court to reconsider an order shutting down the Enbridge Line 5 main oil pipeline in Michigan.A federal judge did not properly weigh the international implications of a Line 5 shutdown when he ordered Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. to remove its oil pipeline from native American lands in Wisconsin, the US government wrote in a 70-page court brief to the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court that was filed on Monday, but made public Wednesday..“The operation of that pipeline has implications for the trade and diplomatic relationship between the two countries, as well as economic and energy-supply implications,"Biden Administration.The US government — which is not a party to the case — said the lower court was correct to find Enbridge guilty of trespassing on tribal land, but said the court should reconsider its decision ordering the company to stop operating portions of the pipeline by 2026 because it would violate a 1977 treaty between the US and Canada to keep the oil flowing.“The operation of that pipeline has implications for the trade and diplomatic relationship between the two countries, as well as economic and energy-supply implications," the Biden administration said in its amicus brief.The Enbridge mainline, which originates at Hardisty near Edmonton, is the world’s longest oil transportation system, running some 26,000 km to Thunder Bay, before dipping into Superior WI and back up again into Southern Ontario near the refining hub in Sarnia..The pipeline carries about 540,000 barrels per day to refineries in Canada and Ohio and supplies Michigan with almost all of its propane.The Canadian government, which is also not a party to the case, had previously argued in an amicus brief that the pipeline should be kept open due to the treaty, otherwise the vast majority of oil supplied to Ontario — as well as the US Midwest — would be put at risk..The lawsuit was filed in 2019 by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Enbridge has argued shutting the 70-year-old pipeline would not be in the public interest of either country and has offered the Band USD$80 million to settle the dispute while it finds alternate routes around the land in question.In a statement Bad River Chairman — chief — Robert Blanchard said the tribe is “grateful” the US government agrees Enbridge is operating on tribal land unlawfully, but is "disappointed that the US has not unequivocally called for an immediate end to Enbridge's ongoing trespass."
