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The underwater portion of Line 5 has long been a bone of contention between Enbridge and the state of Michigan, which says a leak from the twin 66-year-old pipelines would cause catastrophic environmental damage to the Great Lakes.

In the lawsuit filed in the Ingham County Circuit Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asked the court to find that Enbridge’s continued operation of the Straits pipelines under an easement granted in 1953 violates the public trust doctrine.

The lawsuit said the pipeline is a common law public nuisance and violates the Michigan Environmental Protection Act because it is likely to pollute water and hurt other natural resources. It identified an anchor strike as the most significant risk to Line 5, which runs through the straits where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.

“The location of the pipelines…combines great ecological sensitivity with exceptional vulnerability to anchor strikes,” said Nessel in a statement.

“This situation with Line 5 differs from other bodies of water where pipelines exist because the currents in the Straits of Mackinac are complex, variable, and remarkably fast and strong.”

The lawsuit seeks a court order to shut down and decommission the Straits pipelines as soon as possible after a reasonable notice period.

Nessel also filed a motion to dismiss an Enbridge lawsuit from earlier this month, that sought to enforce an agreement made with the previous governor of Michigan. That agreement would have allowed Enbridge to build a tunnel to house the underwater pipelines and continue to operate Line 5.