ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Attorney General Dana Nessel’s suit to shutdown down will not return to state court, according to today’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff.

“The decision, unfortunately, prevents the state court from hearing the merits of the case,” said National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Executive Director, Mike Shriberg. “While we disagree with the ruling, it doesn’t change the fact that Line 5 is a ticking time bomb for the Great Lakes and needs to be shut down immediately. We can’t wait until the pipeline fails—and it will fail—to take action.”

The Line 5 pipeline, operated by Canadian energy company Enbridge, poses an existential risk to the entire Great Lakes and their surrounding watersheds. Line 5 was built to operate for 50 years—it’s over 20 years past its expiration date. Evidence of this can be seen in the crumbling infrastructure of the pipeline itself, the numerous leaks, and the disintegrated coating meant to protect the pipeline from wear and tear. Portions of Line 5 run through sovereign Indigenous territory belonging to the Bad River Band of Wisconsin who assert that Enbridge is now trespassing and in violation of treaty rights.