Supreme Court to decide whether shutting down Michigan pipeline is a state or federal fight
Nessel sued in state court in June 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows the Enbridge energy company to operate a 4.5-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
She won a restraining order shutting down the pipeline from Ingham County Judge James Jamo in June 2020, although Enbridge was allowed to continue operations after meeting safety requirements.
The company moved the lawsuit into federal court in 2021, arguing it affects U.S. and Canadian trade. But a three-judge panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to Jamo in June 2024, finding that Enbridge missed a 30-day deadline to change jurisdictions.
On Monday, the Supreme Court did not explain its rationale for taking up the matter.
Enbridge officials said in a statement that they were encouraged by the Supreme Court's choice, noting that exceptions to the 30-day deadline exist.
Nessel spokesperson Kimberly Bush said the lawsuit belongs in a Michigan court. The attorney general's lawyers have argued that the case invokes the public trust doctrine, a concept in state law holding that natural resources belong to the public.
The pipeline at issue, Line 5, has moved crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, since 1953. Concerns over the section beneath the straits rupturing and causing a catastrophic spill have been growing since 2017, when Enbridge engineers revealed they had known about gaps in the section's protective coating since 2014. A boat anchor damaged the section in 2018, intensifying fears of a spill.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revoked the straits easement for Line 5 in 2020. Enbridge has filed a separate federal lawsuit challenging the revocation.
The company is seeking permits to encase the section of pipeline beneath the straits in a protective tunnel. The Michigan Public Service Commission granted the relevant permits in 2023, but Enbridge still needs approval from from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The pipeline is at the center of a legal dispute in Wisconsin as well. A federal judge in Madison last summer gave Enbridge three years to shut down part of Line 5 that runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior's reservation. The company has proposed rerouting the pipeline around the reservation and has appealed the shutdown order to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Want Decades of Passive Income? 3 Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever
AbbVie is a Dividend King with solid growth prospects. Enbridge is a leading pipeline operator and natural gas utility with an ultra-high dividend yield. Realty Income pays monthly dividends that are highly reliable. 10 stocks we like better than AbbVie › There's a strong parallel between investing for passive income and planting an apple tree. Both require some work up front. But if all goes well, you can reap the fruits of those labors (literally, in the case of the apple tree) for years afterward. Of course, there are some potential pitfalls. An apple tree could become diseased and stop bearing fruit. Similarly, the companies you invest in could struggle and stop distributing income. The good news for investors is that selecting the right dividend stocks can minimize the risk of that happening. Want decades of passive income? Here are three stocks to buy now and hold forever. If you're looking for the companies with the best dividend track records, you'll want to check out the elite group of stocks known as the Dividend Kings. The list includes over 50 stocks. I think AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) ranks as one of the best. Many of the Dividend Kings don't offer kingly yields. However, AbbVie does. At its current share price, the drugmaker's forward dividend yield stands at 3.5%. Moreover, AbbVie has increased its payouts annually for 53 consecutive years. It has more than quadrupled its dividend since its spinoff from Abbott Laboratories in 2013. You'll get more than just a dividend with AbbVie, though. The company should have solid growth prospects thanks to rising stars such as Rinvoq, Skyrizi, Ubrelvy, and Qulipta. AbbVie's pipeline looks promising as well, with around 90 programs in clinical development, roughly 50 of which are in mid- or late-stage testing. Perhaps the most impressive thing about AbbVie, other than its dividend, is the company's resilience. Not long ago, it faced the loss of patent exclusivity for its top-selling product, the autoimmune disease drug Humira. Today, the company has two successors treatments to Humira that together are on track to be even bigger winners. Want even more passive income? Consider investing in Enbridge (NYSE: ENB). At its current share price, this midstream energy leader offers a forward dividend yield that's a hair over 6%. And while Enbridge isn't a Dividend King like AbbVie, it has increased its payouts annually for an impressive 30 consecutive years. Like AbbVie, Enbridge has a highly resilient business. Around 80% of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) are protected against inflation. Less than 1% of its EBITDA is tied to volatile commodity prices. Roughly 98% of its EBITDA is either regulated or contracted via take-or-pay agreements (where buyers commit to either purchase products or pay a penalty if they don't). Enbridge is one of the biggest midstream energy companies. Its pipelines transport around 30% of the crude oil produced in North America and 40% of total U.S. crude oil imports. It also transports close to 20% of all natural gas used in the U.S. In addition, thanks to some strategic acquisitions in 2023, Enbridge now ranks as the largest natural gas utility in North America by volume. This helps lower the company's risk level even more. I think Enbridge's utility business also makes the passive income the company generates more dependable. Realty Income (NYSE: O) stacks up pretty well with Enbridge when it comes to dividends. The real estate investment trust (REIT) pays a forward dividend yield of 5.6% at the current share price. Realty Income has also boosted its dividend annually for 30 consecutive years. Another attribute that will appeal to many investors is that Realty Income distributes its dividends monthly rather than quarterly. It even trademarked the name "The Monthly Dividend Company." Realty Income has a strong tenant base, leasing properties to 1,598 different clients across 91 industries. Its triple-net leases generate nearly 100% gross margins since its tenants are responsible for covering major property expenses such as insurance, maintenance, property taxes, and utilities. These leases are also usually long, which provides the REIT with consistent, recurring revenue. I also like Realty Income's long-term growth prospects. The company targets a total addressable market of around $14 trillion. More than 60% of this market is in Europe, where Realty Income faces only two major rivals. Before you buy stock in AbbVie, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and AbbVie wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $976,677!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025 Keith Speights has positions in AbbVie, Enbridge, and Realty Income. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, Enbridge, and Realty Income. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Want Decades of Passive Income? 3 Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever was originally published by The Motley Fool
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Chipotle customer uncovers receipt from 2015 — here's how much prices have changed in a decade
You used to get more bang — and burrito — for your buck. Fast food fans are fuming over inflation after a Chipotle customer uncovered a receipt from July 2015, showing how much the chain's prices have changed in just a decade. 'Found a receipt under my dishwasher from exactly 10 years ago,' the Chicago resident wrote on a recent Reddit post. 'Found a receipt under my dishwasher from exactly 10 years ago,' the Chicago resident wrote on a recent Reddit post. Reddit/u/herrinfold It showed that he spent $21.45 before tax on two chicken bowls and one chicken burrito with guacamole. The itemized receipt revealed that the bowls and the burritos each cost $6.50, while a side of guac was $1.95. Reddit users were quick to calculate how much the same order would amount to today, with one person using an online ordering system at the same location for a fair and accurate breakdown. A chicken bowl now costs $9.35, while a chicken burrito is the same price. A side of guacamole is currently $2.75. Thus, the order that cost $21.45 in July 2015 would cost $30.80 today, before tax — an increase of 43.58%. The Redditor claimed that those costs were 'about CPI' — a reference to the Consumer Price Index, which measures the change over time in the prices paid for goods and services. Reddit users were quick to calculate how much the same order would amount to today, with one person using an online ordering system at the same location for a fair and accurate breakdown. AP However, most viewers were angered by the cost of living in 2025. '$11 difference is crazy,' one wrote. 'Ugh take me back to 2015.' '2 bowls and a burrito for THAT price!?' another exclaimed. 'Where has the time gone haha. Have I been so conditioned to accept this inflation that I can't even remember how cheap stuff was just 10 years ago!!??!!??' 'I miss when it didn't cost $20 per person for a meal,' another nostalgically noted. While fast food is now more expensive than ever across the US, different places pay different prices for the same items. A recent study from WalletHub determined which states spend the greatest percentage of their income on fast food purchases. People who live in Mississippi pay more for fast food when compared to their relative income than anyone else in the country, the analysis found.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
UK foreign secretary visits Syria after easing sanctions
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met in Damascus on Saturday with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to discuss boosting cooperation, after the U.K. began lifting sanctions against Syria. Syria has been improving relations with Western countries following the fall of President Bashar Assad in December in an offensive led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group. Al-Sharaa's office said Lammy and the president discussed mutual relations and ways of boosting cooperation and the latest regional and international developments. Lammy later met his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, state media reported. In April, the British government lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, to help the country rebuild after Assad's ouster. Weeks earlier the U.K. had dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses, mostly banks and oil companies. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending many American economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa. Syria's new leaders have been struggling to rebuild the country's decimated economy and infrastructure after nearly 14 years of civil war that has killed half a million people. In recent months, al-Sharaa visited oil-rich regional countries and France in May in his first visit to the Europe Union.
