West Shore Pipeline will not rebuild Milwaukee-to-Green Bay line

The West Shore Pipeline Company has informed the state that it will not replace its pipeline serving northeast Wisconsin.

The pipeline, which brought fuel from Milwaukee to Green Bay, has been closed since March of 2016.

The company had considered replacing the pipeline, but the Friday's announcement means that possibility is off the table.

“In light of this announcement, the state will continue to work with our partners to assist the industry in developing long-term, market-based solutions to manage an adequate fuel supply for the region at a reasonable price for consumers,” Department of Administration Secretary Scott Neitzel said. “We’d like to thank our partners for their continued efforts to limit the impact of this pipeline’s closure on citizens in the region.”

In 2016, West Shore said it closed the pipeline after inspectors found "unique conditions that require additional inspections and analysis." The company said no fuel leaked.

After the closure of the pipeline, Gov. Scott Walker issued executive orders lifting regulations to make it easier to transport fuel and to prevent gasoline shortages.

During a stop at Freedom High School Friday the governor responded to the decision saying, "As I understand it, I got this from our Secretary of Administration, it's the uncertainty of knowing whether or not if they're going to make that kind of investment whether there's a long term commitment in terms of some of the larger customers they would be serving, and they were concerned they didn't have that."

He added, "We've had a team that meets quarterly with all the local officials in Northeastern Wisconsin. We'll accelerate that again into a more frequent basis and we think there are some more viable alternatives going forward. Thanks to US Venture we've had some temporary help in that regard, and we're hopeful we can find a more permanent solution."

However-- fuel experts don't expect this announcement to cause an immediate spike in prices at the gas pump.

"Just for the reason that the pipeline has already been closed for a significant amount of time and it was kind of a forgone conclusion um, that this pipeline wouldn't reopen," said Patrick DeHaan, Senior Petroleum Analyst at GasBuddy.com.