On November 16, a federal judge denied Michigan's request to move its lawsuit seeking the closure of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 pipeline back to state court, where opponents of Line 5 thought it might have had better chance of shutting down the pipeline.
Judge Neff wrote that the case calls for the exercise of "substantial-federal-question jurisdiction" over the issues that the state's case covers.
"...with Canada’s invocation of the dispute resolution provision in the 1977 Treaty, the federal issues in this case are under consideration at the highest levels of this country’s government," she wrote.
"The federal issues are far from 'trivial' but raise vitally important questions that implicate the federal regulatory scheme for pipeline safety and international affairs."
The ruling marks a significant victory for Enbridge, the propane industry and users of the energy products flowing through the pipeline.