Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling
Governor urges Enbridge CEO to shut down pipeline within months.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Michigan environmental regulators are reviewing permits for the Line 5 tunnel project.
- The review follows a Michigan Supreme Court decision that vacated a separate tunnel permit.
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked Enbridge CEO Gregory Ebel to shut down the Line 5 pipeline within months.
- Environmentalists and Native American tribes support the renewed scrutiny, while unions and business groups oppose it.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 32 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 37 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
37 sources · methodology
Missing from the right
Only 6 of the 32 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Michigan environmental regulators are reviewing permits for the Line 5 tunnel project. This action comes after a Michigan Supreme Court decision vacated a separate tunnel permit, stating the commission had not adequately considered environmental impacts or alternatives. Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the review in a press release on Wednesday. She also sent a letter to Enbridge CEO Gregory Ebel urging him to shut down the Line 5 pipeline within months.
Environmentalists and Native American tribes have expressed support for the renewed scrutiny and the governor's call for a shutdown, viewing it as a win for the Great Lakes. Conversely, unions and business groups that support the tunnel project have criticised the move. Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy stated the company is prepared to discuss protecting natural resources while ensuring energy infrastructure.
Disagreement on permit status
Washington Top News reported that the permits granted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) do not allow construction to proceed until legal questions are resolved. The Detroit Free Press also stated that construction cannot move forward until legal questions are resolved, according to EGLE Director Phil Roos. However, The Midwesterner reported that the permits approved in July need further review, and the Detroit News stated the administration is reconsidering a permit.
What the coverage left out
None of the left, centre, or right-rated digests mention the specific environmental impacts or alternatives that the Michigan Supreme Court cited in its ruling. The digests also do not include the specific wording of the Michigan Supreme Court's decision.
Coverage settled. We checked this 66 times and stopped on 15 Sept 2026, 21:45. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
17 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on Governor Whitmer's call to shut down the Line 5 pipeline and the state's review of tunnel permits following the Michigan Supreme Court ruling. These reports highlighted Whitmer's characterisation of the pipeline as a "ticking time bomb" and her statement that Enbridge's argument for the status quo is "untenable." The digests noted that environmentalists and Native American tribes supported the renewed scrutiny and shutdown push. Some reports mentioned that construction cannot proceed until legal questions are resolved, citing EGLE Director Phil Roos. The Detroit Free Press digest noted that the shift comes as Wisconsin grapples with a Line 5 spill.
Centre
9 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports highlighted that Michigan environmental regulators are reviewing permits for the Line 5 tunnel project in light of the Michigan Supreme Court decision. They also noted Governor Whitmer's urging of Enbridge CEO Gregory Ebel to shut down the pipeline within months. The Detroit News digest stated the Whitmer administration is reconsidering a permit for the tunnel.
Right
6 rated outlets
- The right-rated digest from The Midwesterner focused on the "confusion" surrounding the Gretchen Whitmer administration "rethinking" Line 5 permit approvals. It stated that the administration is reversing course after state regulators approved the permits in July and that the permits need further review.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling?
- Of the 32 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 53% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 13% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 37. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 32 rated outlets on this story, 53% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 13% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling biased?
- Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling is one event reported by 37 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Michigan reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits after court ruling?
- 37 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why are Michigan regulators reviewing Line 5 tunnel permits?
- Michigan environmental regulators are reviewing permits for the Line 5 tunnel project following a decision by the Michigan Supreme Court. The court vacated a separate tunnel permit, ruling that the commission had not adequately considered environmental impacts or alternatives.
- What is Governor Whitmer asking Enbridge to do?
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer has urged Enbridge CEO Gregory Ebel to shut down the Line 5 pipeline within months. She questioned whether the tunnel will ever be built and stated that it is untenable for the company to continue pumping oil through the Straits.
- Who supports and opposes the renewed scrutiny of the Line 5 permits?
- Environmentalists and Native American tribes support the renewed scrutiny and the governor's call for a shutdown. Unions and business groups that support the tunnel project have criticised the move.
Read it at the source
37 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
17- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Turtle Island News in a new tab)
The Turtle Island News — is The Turtle Island News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Wisconsin DNR tells Enbridge to stop work on pipeline after natural gas leak (opens Wisconsin Examiner in a new tab)
Wisconsin Examiner — is Wisconsin Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after ... (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Kokomo Tribune in a new tab)
Kokomo Tribune — is Kokomo Tribune biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 9 more
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens ABC News in a new tab)
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- State regulators to review issued Line 5 tunnel permits after MI Supreme Court ruling (opens Detroit Metro Times in a new tab)
Detroit Metro Times — is Detroit Metro Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- After backlash, Whitmer says EGLE must consider Michigan Supreme Court ruling on Line 5 permits (opens Michigan Advance in a new tab)
Michigan Advance — is Michigan Advance biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Bridge Michigan in a new tab)
Bridge Michigan — is Bridge Michigan biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer backtracks on Line 5 tunnel permits amid Great Lakes concerns (opens Journal Sentinel in a new tab)
Journal Sentinel — is Journal Sentinel biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer again calls for Line 5 pipeline shutdown in Straits of Mackinac (opens Detroit Free Press in a new tab)
Detroit Free Press — is Detroit Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
9- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Castanet in a new tab)
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Wisconsin DNR asks Enbridge to halt work on temporary bypass around site of gas leak (opens Wisconsin Public Radio in a new tab)
Wisconsin Public Radio — is Wisconsin Public Radio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling – WTOP News (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer urges Enbridge to shut down Line 5 within months, calls pipeline a threat to Great Lakes (opens CBS News in a new tab)
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in a new tab)
- Whitmer to Enbridge CEO: Line 5 pipeline is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for Great Lakes (opens Click on Detroit in a new tab)
Click on Detroit — is Click on Detroit biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
6- Pipeline faces new hurdles as Whitmer calls for shutdown - Regional Media News (opens regionalmedianews.com in a new tab)
regionalmedianews.com — is regionalmedianews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Wisconsin DNR tells Enbridge to stop work on pipeline after natural gas leak (opens WJFW NewsWatch 12 in a new tab)
WJFW NewsWatch 12 — is WJFW NewsWatch 12 biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Michigan regulators review Line 5 tunnel permits as governor urges Enbridge to shut down project (opens The Globe & Mail in a new tab)
The Globe & Mail — is The Globe & Mail biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens The Herald Palladium in a new tab)
The Herald Palladium — is The Herald Palladium biased? Our profile of this outlet
- CONFUSION: Gretchen Whitmer admin now 'rethinking' Line 5 permit approvals - The Midwesterner (opens themidwesterner.news in a new tab)
themidwesterner.news — is themidwesterner.news biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Whitmer administration reconsidering permit for Enbridge Line 5 tunnel (opens The Detroit News in a new tab)
The Detroit News — is The Detroit News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
5- Whitmer urges Enbridge to shut down Line 5 within months, calls pipeline a threat to Great Lakes (opens Great Lakes Commission in a new tab)
Great Lakes Commission
- Michigan regulators review Line 5 tunnel permits as governor urges Enbridge to shut down project (opens BizToc in a new tab)
- Whitmer rethinks Line 5 tunnel permits, ramps up shutdown pleas after court ruling (opens Western Investor in a new tab)
Western Investor — is Western Investor biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Three Michigan Tribes Petition State Agency to End Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel Permits (opens Turtle Talk in a new tab)
Turtle Talk
- Whitmer, EGLE Say Line 5 Tunnel Permits Must Reflect Michigan Supreme Court Decision (opens thechroniclenews.com in a new tab)
thechroniclenews.com
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