On July 30, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that Enbridge, a Canadian pipeline company, is trespassing on land belonging to the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and confirmed that the company must remove its pipeline from the Band’s Reservation.
Line 5 runs through twelve miles of sensitive habitat on the Bad River Reservation. The easements allowing Enbridge to maintain a right of way across the Reservation expired over a decade ago, but Enbridge has refused to remove its pipeline. In 2019, the Band filed suit against the company to end this unauthorized occupation. Last month, a unanimous panel for the Seventh Circuit agreed with the Band that Enbridge is in trespass. As the court held, “the Band exercises its sovereign power over the Bad River Reservation” and has the authority “to expel those who enter the reservation without proper authority.” The court’s decision is clear: “Enbridge must remove the pipeline.” The company must also pay the Band restitution for its years of intentional trespass.
The case will now return to the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin for further proceedings to calculate the restitution award and determine the timeline for Enbridge to remove Line 5.