Overview
- The federal permit authorizes construction work affecting U.S. waters under the Clean Water Act and does not determine pipeline siting or what the line transports.
- Enbridge plans a $450 million, 41-mile replacement segment that would cross roughly 200 waterways and temporarily disturb about 101 acres of wetlands.
- State-issued permits are under contested-case review, and Enbridge says construction cannot begin until those approvals are confirmed, with a decision expected in the coming months.
- The Bad River Band and environmental groups call the approval premature and say the reroute threatens water quality and wild rice beds, while litigation over state permits continues.
- A 2023 federal ruling ordered Enbridge to remove or reroute Line 5 on reservation land by June 2026 and pay $5.15 million for trespass, and appeals of that decision are pending.