On her first full day in office, Governor Whitmer requested an opinion from Attorney General Dana Nessel on the constitutionality of the law that created the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and the on the Authority's approval of the Agreement.
“I pledged to take action on the Line 5 pipeline on day one as governor, and I am holding true to that campaign promise.” the Governor said.
Click Here to read the Governor's letter to the Attorney General
According the the letter submitted to the AG's office, The Governor is questioning whether the new law violates the Michigan Constitution in several ways, including;
- Whether the amended law violates a statute that requires the main focus of an act to be reflected in the title.
- Whether the six-year appointments of corridor authority board members violate a constitutional requirement limiting appointments to four-year terms.
- Whether the amended law violates parts of the Michigan Constitution related to tunnel construction and operation.
- Whether the law constitutes a special or local act when it should have been created under a general act.
- Whether the new authority possesses more power than it is entitled to by law or the Constitution.
- Whether the authority and its actions are invalid if the authority is found to violate state law or the state Constitution.
Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a press release in response to Governor Whitmer’s request, acknowledging it would be a top priority for her office but did not give a specific timeline on the review.
She also cautioned against using the act to move forward with any plans related to Line 5, citing the "serious legal concerns" raised by Whitmer’s request.