Line 5

The move by tribes follows the Whitmer administration's request for a state agency to review the same permits using new guidance from a Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

Michigan Department of Corrections inmate Dylan Leenheer alleges his prisoner temporary ID was doctored to make it appear he was wearing stereotypical depictions of Native American garb.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the court ruling directs the state to “more thoroughly scrutinize” the plan to encase a segment of the pipeline in a tunnel buried beneath the Straits of Mackinac — and that should include reviews of permits that were already issued.

The controversial project looks to encase the Line 5 pipeline, which carries crude oil and natural gas liquids through the Straits of Mackinac, into a concrete tunnel.

WXPR is still working to learn more about the natural gas liquids leak in Iron County Tuesday.

Voters in November will choose a new governor and new attorney general. Some of the candidates for governor and AG — along with the U.S. Senate candidates — have taken stances on Line 5, while others have not.

Last week, the federal government approved a permit for the proposed tunnel project. And the decision came even as regulators acknowledged the project would harm areas that Michigan tribes say are important for their ways of life. IPR climate solutions reporter Vivian La tells us more.

The proposal to replace an aging segment of the Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes still needs state approval. Tribal nations say a permit approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was a breach of treaty rights.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved a permit for Enbridge to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, to house a section of pipeline to replace the current Line 5 twin pipelines that are lying on the lakebed. It's a notable step in the process of building the controversial tunnel.

Justices vacated a permit for the pipeline, while also issuing a consequential ruling for state environmental reviews on several fronts — including the state’s public trust doctrine. “It is literally breathing life into the law,” said one legal expert.