Today the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a Notice of Violation against Canadian oil giant Enbridge as the company rushes to complete a reroute of its Line 5 oil pipeline across a pristine section of Wisconsin’s Northwoods. The notice of violation details Enbridge’s “persistent pattern of non-compliance” with Wisconsin’s laws that protect our air, water, and wildlife.

Below is a statement from Clean Wisconsin attorney Evan Feinauer, who is overseeing our legal case to stop pipeline construction:

“These allegations are numerous and serious. The DNR must now use the full force of its enforcement authority to hold Enbridge accountable, and secure relief that addresses the significant harm to our environment Enbridge has caused.

It’s also worth emphasizing that many of these harms were foreseeable and could have been avoided. Clean Wisconsin and our allies challenged the DNR’s decision to authorize construction of this pipeline because it was clear that construction would cause frac outs, damage wetlands, and impair water quality. We should not accept post-construction financial penalties as a substitute for meaningful application of Wisconsin’s environmental laws. This project should never have been permitted by the DNR in the first place. We are now seeing in real time the risk our state bears so Enbridge can use our Northwoods as a pass through for its pipeline.”

This is far from the first time Enbridge has violated Wisconsin’s environmental laws. Enbridge has paid a number of fines over the years for violations related to its other oil pipelines in Wisconsin, including $275,000 for a 2019 oil spill Jefferson County, which the company failed to report for a year. Enbridge also paid a $1.1 million fine to settle more than 100 alleged violations of wetland and waterways laws during the 2008 construction of another stretch of pipeline in Wisconsin.