The midwestern American state of Michigan has ordered Canada’s Enbridge to close its Line 5 pipeline which delivers nearly half of the oil needs of Ontario and Quebec as well as propane to Michigan State. Should Line 5 be closed, it would need at least 800 tanker rail cars and 2,000 trucks each day to move the oil currently transported by the pipeline, according to Canada’s Natural Resources Minister, Seamus O'Regan.

In the last decade, American environmentalist groups have highlighted the potential danger of a leak from this 67-year- old pipeline leaking in the Straits of Mackinac causing massive damage to the Great Lakes ecosystem. In response, Enbridge has been working on a tunnel to reduce the potential of environmental damage.

Enbridge to date, has ignored the order to close and its stance is supported by Canada’s federal and provincial governments. Also, legal expert Lawrence Herman, maintains that the United States, rather than Michigan, is legally bound to keep the pipeline running under the 1977 Pipelines Treaty between Canada and the United States, which requires a ten-year notice period before either party can withdraw.