CHARLESTON W.Va. (WVDN) — West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey led a nine-state coalition in an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in a critical pipeline case that could impact the entire country’s energy security and economies.
Michigan is attempting to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. The pipeline, operated by Enbridge, crosses under two Great Lakes and is part of North America’s interconnected energy system. It carries more than 20-million gallons of light crude oil and natural gas liquids daily, serving people across Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Canada and beyond.
The Attorney General of Michigan has sued to shut down part of the pipeline. After Enbridge removed the state-court suit to federal court, the Sixth Circuit remanded the case back to state court after finding Enbridge had not met a key removal deadline.
“This is a case that squarely belongs in federal court. The Line 5 pipeline impacts the entire country and Canada, and we cannot allow one state’s interests to impede on the rest,” Attorney General McCuskey said. “This case is too important to be tried outside of federal courts, especially to be tried there only because of a technicality.”
The West Virginia-led brief is urging the court to keep the case in federal court, rather than sending it back to state court, citing international treaty implications and national security issues.
The closure of Line 5 could force refineries to reduce production or shut down completely, with families and businesses facing an estimated $23.7 billion in additional fuel costs over five years.
Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas joined the West Virginia-led brief.
Read the brief here.
