Madison, Wis – Wisconsin’s agricultural, labor and business leaders praised today’s decision by Wisconsin Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy to uphold permits granted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that allow for construction of the Line 5 relocation project in northwestern Wisconsin. The DNR issued the permits in November of 2024 after an over four-year review of the application originally submitted in 2020 by Enbridge, the owner of Line 5. Opponents of the project challenged the permits, initiating the contested case process overseen by Chaput Foy, which included over a month of hearings in both Madison and Ashland.
“For five years, Wisconsin’s skilled trades workers have stood ready while this critical infrastructure project completed a rigorous approval process. Today, that wait ends,” said Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council. “Now, 700 union workers will soon get to work to construct the safest and best-built section of pipeline in the country.”
Chaput Foy’s decision concludes a state process that included multiple public hearings and public comment periods, a deep analysis of thousands of pages of data, studies and modeling, and the issuance of a nearly 900-page Environmental Impact Statement. During the contested case hearings, over a dozen public and private sector scientists and environmental and construction experts testified to the safety of the Line 5 project and defended the DNR permits.
“During the contested case hearing we heard from experts that the Line 5 project is literally the most studied construction project in state history,” said Brian Dake, president of the small business advocacy group Wisconsin Independent Business. “Wisconsin’s small businesses depend on the energy made possible by Line 5 and are breathing easier knowing they won’t have to absorb the higher costs shutting down Line 5 would cause.”
Line 5 is unique because it not only moves crude oil that is refined into transportation fuels, but it also transports natural gas liquids that are made into propane. In fact, a public comment submitted to the DNR by major propane supplier Plains Midstream sent a critical warning that a rejection of the Line 5 relocation project would likely send Wisconsin into a propane state of emergency, leading to supply shortages and massive price increases.
“Line 5 is critical to ensure Wisconsin’s farmers have access to the propane they need to dry crops, power equipment and even heat their homes,” said Chad Zuelger, executive director of the Dairy Business Association. “We are grateful the permitting process has come to a close and are confident the construction will be done safely and in keeping with our state’s strict environmental protection standards.”
Over the course of multiple comment periods by both state and federal regulators, dozens of organizations representing over 100,000 Wisconsin farmers, union workers and small businesses submitted comment letters in support of the project. Those organizations include: APEX, Centergy , Construction Business Group, Cooperative Network, Dairy Business Association, Five Skies Training and Consulting, Futurewood, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Growmark , Hawk Industries, Johnson Timber, Lakehead Constructors Inc, LK1 Services, Michels Corporation, Midwest Food Products Association, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, Northern Clearing, Teamsters Local 346, Wisconsin Agri-Business Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Propane Gas Association, Wisconsin Restaurant Association, Wisconsin Building Trades Council, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, Wisconsin Fuel and Retail Association, Wisconsin Independent Businesses, Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Wisconsin Paper Council, Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers, Wisconsin Pork Association, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139, and Wisconsin Infrastructure Investment Now.
