FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 30, 2017
CONTACT: David Holtz, Oil & Water Don’t Mix, (313) 300-4454
Erosion of Line 5 enamel coating another clear sign of grave risk posed by aging pipelines
Oil & Water Don’t Mix: State must step in where Enbridge won’t, and shut down Line 5
LANSING – Citizens groups today said Enbridge Energy’s acknowledgment of enamel erosion in three areas of the Line 5 pipelines is yet another signal that the aging pipelines have been improperly maintained, posing a daily threat to the Great Lakes and Michigan’s economy. Oil & Water Don’t Mix called for the State of Michigan to go beyond calling only for repairs to the enamel, and shut down the aging pipelines due to their unacceptable risk to the Great Lakes.
“Nearly every detail that comes to light about Line 5 points to decades of negligence on the part of Enbridge Energy, and today’s revelation that enamel coating is wearing off the pipelines simply adds to the long list of unacceptable risks Line 5 poses to Michigan,” said Liz Kirkwood, executive director of For Love of Water (FLOW). “Given their track record of negligence, we can’t trust Enbridge Energy to give us the whole story, maintain the pipelines or ensure every possible safeguard against a catastrophic Great Lakes oil spill. Rather than calling only for repairs of the coating, the State of Michigan must shut down Line 5 due to the unacceptable risk posed to our state.”
Kirkwood also said continuing violations of Enbridge’s Line 5 easement agreement should compel state officials to begin the process of decommissioning the controversial pipelines in the Straits.
A stakeholder email sent by an Enbridge official today read, in part: “Results from the August aquatic organism study will not be available for several weeks following the completion of the study; however, during the course of the associated inspection of the pipelines enamel coating, Enbridge has confirmed two locations containing small areas where there is pipeline without coating. A third location also has a possible small area of bare metal which is still being evaluated."
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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. Learn more at www.oilandwaterdontmix.org.
