Protesters temporarily shut Enbridge Line 5

Enbridge Inc. shut down its Line 5 oil pipeline for several hours last week after Michigan protesters trespassed and tampered with the pipeline.

Reports tell that an anti-pipeline protester operated a safety valve at the Enbridge facility in Michigan. The Enbridge facility is part of a supply chain that delivers 540,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario.

The group, Resist Line 3 Media Collective, accessed the site, and notified Enbridge of the breach before turning the valve and reading a statement. Enbridge voluntarily halted the flow of crude as a cautionary measure. The site was back online shortly after the demonstration. Enbridge reports customers were not impacted.

Line 5 is at the core of a dispute between Canada and the U.S. over pipeline crude distribution. The state of Michigan has sought to halt the operation of the pipeline over concerns a section running below water in the Straits of Mackinac could leak. Enbridge has ignored Michigan’s order pointing to a treaty between Canada and the U.S. that protects pipeline traffic.