MON AM News: Advocates, critics react to judge’s decision in Line 5 case; Top 10 WI counties made up 64% of state GDP

February 16, 2026

— Environmental and tribal advocates say they’re weighing next steps after a judge upheld a DNR permit for Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline reroute, while supporters say they’re ready to get to work on the project.

John Petoskey, senior associate attorney for the law firm Earthjustice, argues Wisconsin Administrative Law Judge Angela Chaput Foy’s decision “ignores strong evidence” that the agency broke the law in approving the reroute.

“Enbridge’s project threatens permanent damage to the Band’s treaty-protected water, plants, and medicines, all for the enrichment of a foreign oil pipeline company,” he said Friday in a statement. “The Band will continue to fight to protect their interests and halt construction.”

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Building Trades Council Executive Director Emily Pritzkow notes 700 union workers are set to begin building “the safest and best-built section of pipeline” in the country after months of hearings on the reroute and Friday’s decision.

“For five years, Wisconsin’s skilled trades workers have stood ready while this critical infrastructure project completed a rigorous approval process,” she said in a statement. “Today, that wait ends.”

The company’s planned reroute of a section of its Line 5 pipeline was challenged by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, represented by Earthjustice, along with Clean Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Advocates on behalf of Sierra Club, 350 Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

They argued the state Department of Natural Resources violated state environmental laws in approving the permit, according to the advocates. The band has also separately challenged a U.S. Army Corps permit for the project.

The dispute comes after the Bad River Band in 2019 filed a lawsuit claiming Enbridge had trespassed on reservation land in northern Wisconsin, and the company then proposed building a 41-mile section of the existing Line 5 pipeline going around the reservation.

The pipeline reroute is backed by the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and dozens of other groups, according to the council. Advocates recently issued statements of support for the reroute during testimony on the challenge in Ashland.

In a statement Friday, Dairy Business Association Executive Director Chad Zuelger said Line 5 is “critical” to ensuring propane access for Wisconsin farmers.

“We are grateful the permitting process has come to a close and are confident the construction will be done safely and in keeping with our state’s strict environmental protection standard,” he said.

But Elizabeth Ward, the director of the Sierra Club’s Wisconsin chapter, argues the decision by the administrative law judge “doesn’t change the fact that Line 5 must be shut down” to protect the Great Lakes and climate.

See the decision.

— The top 10 Wisconsin counties for economic output in 2024 had $226 billion in combined real GDP, making up about 64% of the state’s total for the year.

That’s according to newly released data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, which shows the state overall had more than $354 billion in real GDP for the year. That’s up from about $347 billion in 2023.

The state’s largest county by population and output, Milwaukee County, had a GDP of $62.7 billion in 2024, rising from $61.6 billion in the prior year.

Rounding out the top three, Dane County had $51.3 billion in GDP for 2024 while Waukesha County had $32.9 billion. Those totals increased from $49.8 billion and $32.5 billion over the previous year, respectively.

Others in the top 10 ranged from Brown County at $20.1 billion to Kenosha County with $8 billion.

Each of the top 10 counties had higher GDP over the year, the figures show, and largely kept the same ranking, with one exception. Marathon County moved up from No. 8 to No. 7 on the list for 2024 with $9.13 billion in GDP, narrowly beating out Racine County with $9.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the bottom 10 counties for GDP in 2024 ranged from Price County with $560 million down to Florence County with $128 million. Among those, only Florence and Price counties had lower GDP over the year, while the other eight all saw an increase.

See the latest data here.

— January home sales in the Milwaukee metropolitan area declined 9.9% over the year as broader trends signal a continuation of 2025 market conditions this year.

That’s from the Greater Milwaukee Association of Commerce’s latest monthly home sales report.

It shows a total of 818 homes were sold across Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Waukesha and Washington counties in January. That’s compared to 908 in January 2025. January is typically a slow month for home sales, GMAR notes.

Meanwhile, January listings in the four-county area rose by 2.4%, with increases of 1.9% and 12.6% in the more populated Milwaukee and Waukesha countries, respectively. While the group highlights the trend — noting inventory levels have risen in 23 of the last 31 months — it says that’s “hardly enough” to satisfy demand.

The metro area would have needed more than 5,000 additional units in January to reach a balanced market with six months of supply, according to GMAR.

Due in part to this imbalance, home prices in the area continue to rise. The average price increased 9.5% over the year, reaching $407,818 in January.

See the report.

— Federal funds set to go toward Wisconsin’s electric vehicle infrastructure programs should be insulated from a congressional effort to claw back those funds, advocates say.

Two renewable energy advocates recently told WisPolitics a summary judgment barring the U.S. Transportation Department from revoking funding for previously approved buildouts of EV infrastructure should prevent Congress from reclaiming those funds.

A Washington State judge in January ordered the U.S. DOT to permanently unfreeze National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula funds and forbade the government from revoking previously approved state plans to build out new EV charging stations.

The federal funding freeze had threatened the more than $62 million that remained of the $78.7 million in NEVI funding allocated to Wisconsin under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021.

“I feel fairly confident about the $62 million remaining in Wisconsin. I’m fairly confident in that,” said Alex Beld, communications director at RENEW Wisconsin.

Emma Heins, a principal at Advanced Energy United, also said the $62 million “should be protected” by the summary judgment.

Wisconsin has used federal funds to install new EV fast-charging stations along interstate highways and the state highway system as part of the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, or WEVI.

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have sought to rescind EV infrastructure funds earmarked for WEVI and other state programs under President Joe Biden.

In February 2025, the Federal Highway Administration announced it had indefinitely suspended NEVI funding and revoked its approval of states’ plans to build out their EV infrastructure.

Sixteen states, including Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia sued the federal government. Judge Tana Lin of the Western District of Washington ordered funding for NEVI plans to resume in June.

However, the package of appropriations bills signed into law earlier this month included provisions redirecting some $879 million in federal EV funds to other transportation projects.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation wrote in an email Thursday that it was working to determine if the bill would impact Wisconsin’s EV program.

See more in the latest WisPolitics Friday Report.

— This year’s Wisconsin Economic Forecast Luncheon is being held April 29 in Madison, featuring Robert Dietz of the National Association of Home Builders as a keynote speaker.

WisPolitics-State Affairs, WisBusiness and the Wisconsin Bankers Association are partnering on the annual event, which explores national and state economic trends.

In addition to Dietz, the chief economist and senior vice president for economics and housing policy for NAHB, the event will include remarks by Tim Schneider, president and CEO of Bank Five Nine in Oconomowoc. An economist from the state Department of Workforce Development will also deliver remarks.

See event details and register here.

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TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Wisconsin FFA members gather for leadership Farm Forum

CONSTRUCTION

– The promise of King Drive: Equity-focused projects reinvigorate the historic district

– Menomonee Valley apartment conversion clears key step, zoning hurdles remain

EDUCATION

– New greenhouse agriculture learning in Southwest Wisconsin

ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS