Enbridge Inc. obeyed a court order Thursday to shut off its 540,000 b/d Line 5 pipeline that crosses the Straits of Mackinac until a hearing scheduled for Tuesday (June 30) on a Michigan state request for an injunction against resuming oil flows.

An Ingham County, MI, judge granted a temporary restraining order sought by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who embarked on a legal campaign to close the pipeline permanently as an environmental menace after she was elected in late 2018.

Fossil fuel foes called the order a victory, but Nessel rated it as only a short-term fix. She repeated her demand in tandem with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, to remove Line 5 from the Straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Enbridge Vice President Vern Yu described...