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Canada-U.S. Commons committee exploring latest cross-border pipeline flashpoint

WASHINGTON — The latest pipeline dispute between Canada and the United States is back on the agenda in Ottawa. 

Enbridge vice-president Vern Yu is scheduled to appear today before a special House of Commons committee exploring Canada-U.S. ties. 

Enbridge owns and operates Line 5, a vital cross-border energy link that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to shut down. 

Whitmer is convinced the dual pipeline, which runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac, poses too severe a threat to the health of the Great Lakes.

Yu, head of the Calgary company's liquid pipeline division, calls Michigan's concerns baseless and says Line 5 remains safe. 

Line 5 has emerged as the newest flashpoint in Canada-U.S. relations just two months after President Joe Biden cancelled the Keystone XL expansion project.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2021. 

The Canadian Press