LANSING – The National Wildlife Federation announced Monday that it had sued to block operation of the oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, arguing the federal permits for the pipeline were improper.

The group has sued the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to have it revoke the permits it issued in 2013 for Enbridge Energy’s Line 5, a portion of which runs under the straits. The group argued the agency did not have authority to approve the offshore portions, and did not appropriately judge the environmental impacts of a spill from the onshore portions of the pipeline.

“We are taking action today to protect people, communities, wildlife, and the Great Lakes from a potential oil disaster,” Mike Shriberg, the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes regional executive director, said in a statement. “Michigan is home to the largest inland oil disaster in U.S. history, and we need to make sure that we never experience that again. The federal government needs to do its job in protecting the Great Lakes; that has not happened to date and, therefore, Line 5 should not be allowed to operate.”

The PHMSA approved the entire disaster response plan, required for the pipeline to operate, but the NWF argued in its pleadings that federal law requires the president to approve such plans. For the onshore portions of pipelines, that authority was delegated to the federal secretary of transportation, which houses the PHMSA. But offshore portions, NWF said, were delegated to the secretary of interior.

The agency also did not require an environmental impact statement as part of the response plan approval, nor did it require the plan to not specifically address effects on any endangered species in the region as required in federal law, the group said.

It is asking the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to set aside the response plan approval, which would essentially shut down the line.

Enbridge officials said they had not yet seen the lawsuit, in which the company is not named, but said they stand by the response plan.

“We can assure Michigan residents that Enbridge has a very thoughtful and reviewed response plan in place should something happen along Line 5 in the Straits,” spokesperson Ryan Duffy said. “Our response plan is specific to the Straits pipelines and provides detailed response strategies for emergency responders. It serves as a supplement to Enbridge’s Integrated Contingency Plan that was drafted and approved in 2013 following an extensive, PHMSA-coordinated peer review, which incorporated input from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. EPA, an independent industry expert, and Canada’s National Energy Board.”

Duffy said the company also constantly monitors pressures in the line and can shut it off if a leak is detected. It has also been working to ensure the line is not vulnerable leaks, he said.

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