"Company Defies Michigan Governor’s Order To Close Pipeline"

"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — An Upper Midwestern oil pipeline continued operating Wednesday, despite a shutdown demand from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that the operator warned could lead to fuel disruptions similar to those resulting from a cyberattack on an East Coast system.

Whitmer ordered Line 5 closed last November because of the potential for a spill in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. As her May 12 deadline arrived, Canadian pipeline company Enbridge said only the federal government has regulatory authority over its operations.

Enbridge, backed by numerous chambers of commerce and Republican legislators in Michigan, seized on last week’s hack of the Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the East Coast. The resulting shutdown led to panic-buying that has left thousands of filling stations without fuel and motorists in long lines."

John Flesher reports for the Associated Press May 13, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

"Enbridge Continues Straits Pipeline Operation, Defying Gov. Whitmer's Deadline" (Detroit Free Press)

"Lawmakers Want Michigan To Pay Enbridge’s Line 5 Legal Fees If Shutdown Fails" (MLive)

"A Nasty Pipeline Showdown Is Brewing Today in Michigan, and Canada Is Pissed" (Earther)

"Michigan Orders Closure Of Pipeline In Escalating Dispute With Canada" (Guardian)

Source: AP, 05/13/2021