The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to wade into a yearslong dispute over an oil pipeline in Michigan, but rejected Exxon Mobil’s request that it intervene in a decade-old fight over a record pollution fine.
The decisions came as the court announced cases it plans to consider next fall, and as it directed lower courts to resolve some pending petitions based on its decisions this term. A number of requests failed to garner the requisite support from four justices on the court, including lawsuits over air and water pollution.
The latest addition to the court’s line-up is a fight over which court should resolve whether the energy company Enbridge can continue to operate its Line 5 oil pipeline in Michigan. The case, Enbridge Energy LP. v. Dana Nessel, is part of a dispute over which court should have jurisdiction to decide whether state officials had improperly ordered the Enbridge pipeline to halt its operations.
Michigan officials have raised concerns about the risks of oil spills into the Great Lakes from the aging pipeline. Enbridge has defended the 645-mile conduit, which extends from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, as a key energy supplier.
