Federal Judge says NO to shutting down the Line 5 pipeline in Ashland County

ODANAH (AP) — A federal judge signaled Thursday that he won’t order an energy company to shut down an oil pipeline. The Bad River tribe argues that rapid erosion could expose the line and cause a massive oil spill on reservation land in northern Ashland County. In some places, the Bad River now flows less than 15 feet from where Enbridge’s Line 5 is buried. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are worried that a spill could devastate their land. But U.S. District Judge William Conley said the tribe’s concerns were undermined by its decision to not let Enbridge reinforce the land around its pipeline.  Line 5 transports up to 23 million gallons of oil and liquid natural gas each day and stretches 645 miles from Superior through northern Wisconsin and Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario. If the pipeline were shut down, gas prices would likely increase, refineries would close, workers would be laid off and the upper Midwest could see years of propane shortages, according to reports Enbridge submitted in court.