A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 's attempt to shut down an aging oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, finding that only the federal government can regulate interstate pipeline safety.
Whitmer, a Democrat, ordered regulators in 2020 to revoke an easement that allows Enbridge Inc. to operate a 4.5-mile (6.4) kilometer pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Whitmer made the move out of concern that the 72-year-old pipeline could rupture and cause a catastrophic spill.
