MADISON, Wis. – A federal judge said he’s unlikely to force the Canadian energy company Enbridge to shut down Line 5 oil pipeline on the edge of tribal lands near Ashland in northern Wisconsin. Judge William Conley said the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa had not proven the pipeline, although old, was on the verge of rupturing. Also, Conley noted, the band had refused to to enable Enbridge to take simple steps to stop erosion of riverbanks along the pipeline. The judge said that the band’s inaction undermined its repeated claims that the pipeline must be shut down. “It looks like a strategy, even if it’s just idiocy,” he said. “I’m begging the band to just act. Do something to show you’re acting in good faith.” Conley’s comments were a prelude to a ruling expected in June on the band’s request for an order on Enbridge to stop pumping. Line 5 is a major carrier of petroleum to eastern Canada.
