Sunday, April 15, 2018
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Schmidt calls for shutdown of Enbridge pipeline under the straits during independent investigation
For Immediate Release
April 11, 2018
Contact: Connie Russell
517-373-2413
April 11, 2018
Contact: Connie Russell
517-373-2413
LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, issued the following statement on Wednesday regarding the recent damage to Line 5 and other underwater cables beneath the straits:
“I cannot begin to explain my disappointment with what happened last week — not only because of what happened, but how it was handled as well.
“The communication efforts by Enbridge and ATC were nonexistent. I have been in contact with my federal partners, including Congressman Bergman’s office, and there is a mutual concern that because the communication efforts on behalf of all companies involved were this poor, efforts toward fixing the problem will also be less than impressive. If waiting days for information about something so important is what we’re to expect, I have zero confidence situations like this have been and will be handled in a timely, effective manner.
Oil & Water Don’t Mix Slams Governor’s Pro-Enbridge Response to Damaged Line 5
Shutting Down Line 5 is the Only Way to Protect the Great Lakes
CONTACT: Sean McBrearty, Oil & Water Don’t Mix, (616) 516-7758
The following statement can be attributed to Sean McBrearty, Oil & Water Don’t Mix Coordinator:
“Enbridge
has just disclosed dents in the dual pipelines caused by the same
vessel that hit two electric cables and spilled 600 gallons of hazardous
oils into the Straits last week. There is no question -- the time has
come to shut down Line 5.”
“Pipelines
do not belong in the Straits of Mackinac, period. Our state’s economy,
tourism, and way of life revolves around keeping our Great Lakes in a
pristine condition. There’s simply too much at stake to keep Line 5 in
operation.”
“This
lame duck Governor’s immediate response to allow a new tunneled oil
pipeline under the Straits proves what Michiganders have suspected for a
long time - this Governor puts a Canadian oil company’s interests
before the people of Michigan or the Great Lakes.”
“Rebuilding
the pipeline would lock our state into decades more of transporting
dirty, dangerous Canadian oil, putting our state and the Great Lakes and
other Michigan waterways at grave risk while providing very little
benefit to Michigan.”
###
Oil
& Water Don’t Mix is a broad campaign of organizations, citizens
and businesses across Michigan who are working to keep oil out of our
Great Lakes by shutting down the dangerous, 64-year-old Line 5 Pipelines
in the Straits of Mackinac. The campaign fights for clean water and
air, Indigenous rights, reducing pollution, sustainable economies and
protecting sporting, tourism and jobs that are dependent on our water
and Pure Michigan way of life.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Line 5 oil pipeline in Straits of Mackinac dented by ship
The same "vessel activity" that appears to have damaged submerged electric cables in the Straits of Mackinac last week, causing a leak of 550 gallons of benzene-containing coolant, may have also caused three dents just discovered in the Line 5 oil and natural gas liquids pipeline, also underwater where lakes Michigan and Huron connect.
Canadian oil transport giant Enbridge, which owns and operates Line 5, informed state officials late Tuesday of the dents, characterized as "very small" and posing "no threat to the pipeline," Gov. Rick Snyder's office said in a statement Wednesday.
Read more ...
