“In addition, Enbridge Inc. will take full responsibility for the clean-up of any incident in Michigan or anywhere along our pipeline system.” Under the U.S. Oil Pollution Act, the owner of Line 5 “would be obligated as a responsible party to assume the cost of any cleanup,” Koby said. The state is revoking the easement for violation of the public trust doctrine. Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, has reintroduced a bill from last session that would require all existing submerged pipelines undergo a third-party review and be shut down if the risk is too great. In between, Enbridge alerted the state to gaps in the protective coating on the pipeline in the Straits, information the company had as early as 2014. Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline runs under the Straits of Mackinac. One lawsuit involves a law that was passed by the Michigan legislature in December of 2018 which created the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and authorized it to enter into the Tunnel Agreement with Enbridge to build a new tunnel which would be owned by the Authority. The group said Monday it has found at least 29 instances of oil and natural gas liquids spills totaling more […] A 2011 toll agreement describes the materials as "condensate, light synthetic, sweet, light sour and NGL," as does … Some Michigan drilling companies use Line 5 to transport the oil they produce. "Over the past fifteen years, there have been three incidents on Line 5 that have resulted in a total of approximately 21 barrels of product being released off the mainline. In November 2017, the State of Michigan announced an agreement with Enbridge, known as the First Agreement, to compel the company to add protections for the Straits of Mackinac and the Great Lakes. In December 2018, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order that would result in … In April 2018, Line 5 in the Straits was damaged by a boat anchor that was dragged along the lake bottom. The oil was from Enbridge Line 5, which had spilled 630 gallons through a pinhole leak. Enbridge in Michigan. A similar spill disaster on Line 5 in the Straits would devastate the Great Lakes shoreline communities and the Michigan economy, critics of the pipeline have long contended. "Only one spill I could find was discovered by leak detection systems," said Wallace, a Pipeline Safety Trust board member who co-authored the NWF's 2012 "Sunken Hazard" report that helped galvanize scrutiny on the Line 5 section under the Straits of Mackinac. "That's a big problem for the overall pipeline if it's system-wide. The spill prompted increased attention and focus on the potential ecological and economic damage that could occur if the Line 5 pipeline running beneath the Straits of Mackinac failed. The pipeline was constructed in 1953 and was meant to last only 50 years. A spill from Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac could contaminate nearby municipal drinking water, devastate major fisheries, kill aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, impair critical ecosystem services, diminish coastal property values, and tarnish the image of the State of Michigan and its high levels of ecological integrity. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20). Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy dismissed the findings. "That can be very dangerous," she said. A new administration took office in January 2019, with both Gov. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has filed lawsuits against PHMSA and the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT). Although the line is 64 years old, 1968 is the earliest year of data available, The most recent spill is a small one, about 8 gallons, caused by an equipment failure on March 5, 2015 near Marenisco that Enbridge staff discovered while conducting a station review. 2013 (July 1st) - Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issues a citation against Enbridge for… Copy may not be in its final form. No decisions have been reached in that proceeding at this time. That product is introduced into the pipeline at Lewiston, Michigan. Line 5 helps heat Michigan homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, fuels vehicles, and powers industry by safely and reliably transporting light crude oil, light synthetic crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL).. Line 5, which is part of Enbridge’s Lakehead System, begins in Superior, Wisconsin, and ends in Sarnia, Canada. Constructed during the Eisenhower administration in 1953, the two 20-inch-in-diameter “Line 5” pipelines owned by Canadian company Enbridge, Inc., lie exposed in the water at the bottom when they cross the Straits of Mackinac. In 1968 near Lake Gogebic, a 285,600-gallon spill was caused by a weld failure, but PHMSA records lack more detail beyond "equipment rupturing pipe.". Built in 1953, the two 20-inch-in-diameter “Line 5” pipelines owned by Canadian company Enbridge, Inc., lie exposed in the water along the public bottomlands of the Mackinac Straits. The data comes from inspection records obtained by the NWF through the Freedom of Information Act and others put online recently by the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which Congress has required to make more information accessible to the public. The agreement with Snyder included a pledge to hold the state financially harmless for any damages from a Line 5 spill. Enbridge Energy Partners LLP (Enbridge) reported a 30-inch pipeline ruptured near Marshall, Michigan. However, Enbridge has denied any plans to pump such materials. Please support high-quality journalism. The other occurred in 1972 when a defective weld caused a 4,200-gallon spill just south of the Krause Road and Hiawatha Trail intersection, near the headwaters of O'Niel Creek, which flows south a few miles into Lake Michigan. “Line 5 remains safe, as envisioned by the 1953 Easement, and as recently validated by our federal safety regulator,” which according to the Detroit Free press is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The 1990 spill spotted by chopper patrol is actually one of two along the pipeline near Engadine. Two people were also injured a few years later in 1976 when another 210,000-gallon spill near Lake Gogebic was caused by a "pipe failure.". In addition, people tracking the existing Line 5 said it has numerous leaks, a sign of an aging pipeline that has seen its better days. That 4.5-mile section is two separate pipelines, each 20 inches in diameter, that lie on the lake bottom. A resulting fire injured two people. Rick Snyder signed legislation to create the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and its Board voted to approve an agreement with Enbridge to build a utility tunnel in the Straits. The First Agreement also called for Enbridge to replace the portion of Line 5 that crosses beneath the St. Clair River with horizontal directional drilling, temporarily shut down Line 5 during periods of sustained adverse weather conditions in the Straits, implement additional underwater technologies to better monitor the pipeline beneath the Straits, implement measures to mitigate a potential vessel anchor strike, evaluate every Line 5 water crossing in Michigan and implement measures to minimize the likelihood of an oil spill at these locations, and increase transparency through regular communication with the state. Others were caused by manufacturing defects in the pipe, such as stress cracking along a seam. "The Kalamazoo River spill didn't happen in the river," she said. The information was revealed as part of Enbridge’s permit application to the Department of Environmental Quality (now known as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, or EGLE) to install additional anchor screws to secure portions of the pipeline to the lakebed in the Straits. The most common theme was the method of spill discovery. "This newly-released data shows a worse history of spill and detection systems failing over time," said Mike Shriberg, NWF Great Lakes regional director, who also sits on the state of Michigan's Pipeline Safety Advisory Board. What is Enbridge Line 5? Duffy did not respond to questions about whether Enbridge disputed any of the estimates reached by the NWF or why only the last 15 years of spill history is a relevant benchmark for a pipeline that began operating in 1953. A FOIA photo from a March 13, 2011 Enbridge inspection report shows stress corrosion cracking the length of the longitudinal seam on a section of Line 5 located between Bay City and Sarnia. The Marshall pipeline spill led to the creation of the Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force with the mandate to take a closer look at pipelines transporting petroleum products around the state, and specifically Line 5. Enbridge Line 5 was constructed in 1953 and now carries nearly 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario, every day. Enbridge says it plans to test Line 5 under the straits at its original 1953 pressure, install more anchor supports and take a closer look at the defective coating. The NWF released 2011 inspection photos obtained through FOIA that show stress cracking along the longitudinal seam between Bay City and Sarnia. Enbridge agreed to pay $110 million on spill prevention and pipeline operations in the Great Lakes region and a $61 million fine. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The group says the amount of manufacturing and construction defects and weld failures revealed by Wallace's research call into question the overall integrity of the Line 5 system. Such stress cracking along the seam isn't limited to the Upper Peninsula section. That spill is among almost 30 spills along the pipeline -- many of them previously unknown or largely forgotten incidents -- unearthed in federal records by National Wildlife Federation (NWF) pipeline safety specialist and researcher Beth Wallace. In response to questions raised by the Governor, the Attorney General issued a formal legal opinion that the legislation was not properly enacted under Michigan’s Constitution and should be considered void. This is not the first time Line 5 has sustained damage in recent years. The agreement called for Enbridge to negotiate a public-private partnership agreement with the Mackinac Bridge Authority for Enbridge to fund the construction of a tunnel. Besides the legislation, a Third Agreement was signed that carries forward provisions of two previous agreements with the company. Line 5 ships nearly 23 million gallons of crude oil and petroleum products every day. The oil spill response plan for Enbridge Line 5 is the Integrated Contingency Plan: Superior Region Response Zone, which was submitted, reviewed, and approved by PHMSA. The alternatives report was submitted in June 2017 while the risk analysis was completed in August 2018. Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline was built in 1953 and extends for 645 miles across the state of Michigan. Families and businesses in the Upper Peninsula rely on Line 5 to meet 65% of their propane demand. Lansing — Gov. Meanwhile, Michigan legislators on both sides of the aisle are targeting the pipeline. The pipeline is a single, 30-indiameter pipe except for the section that crosses the Straits of Mackinac. Wallace said the number of spills caused by stress cracking along the longitudinal pipe seam is a major red flag. The NWF considers its estimate conservative because the research identified known spills, like a 1980 spill in Hiawatha National Forest, that weren't in federal records. BACKGROUND: Earlier this month, the state notified Enbridge that it is revoking and terminating the 1953 easement allowing Enbridge to operate the Line 5 dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac, effective 180 days from the date of the notice. They are based in Calgary, Alberta and have been responsible for the two largest inland oil spills in US history. Enbridge spokesman Michael Barnes took issue with the National Wildlife Federation’s assessment of Line 5’s leak history, stating that the line has … MACKINAC COUNTY, MI -- In 1990, a helicopter patrol spotted a patch of oil on the ground about a mile south of Millecoquins Lake near Engadine. Enbridge is the largest oil and gas transportation company in North America. A second suit was brought in June of 2019 by the Attorney General against Enbridge seeking to void Enbridge’s use of the 1953 Line 5 easement and end its current use of the existing dual pipelines in the Straits. © 2020 Advance Local Media LLC. Many of the spills incident records do not say how the leak was initially detected. Michigan House Democrats say they are preparing a bill package that would tighten pipeline regulation and give the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regulatory oversight of pipelines crossing the state. "The oil made its way there though a major tributary.". LANSING (WJRT) (6/25/2020) - A judge ordered Enbridge to shut down its controversial Line 5 oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac and give … Enbridge Inc. has sued in federal court to halt Gov. The release, estimated by Enbridge at 843,000 gallons, entered Talmadge Creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River, a Lake Michigan tributary. That decision was recently affirmed by the Michigan Court of Appeals, and not appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court. Advocates with the National Wildlife Federation say they’ve uncovered more oil and gas spills from Enbridge’s Line 5 than they previously thought, raising questions about how leaks are reported and whether there have been more. Cleanup efforts are ongoing and are estimated at more than $1 billion. The anchor caused three dents to the pipeline – two on the western segment and one on the eastern segment – and raised concerns about the vulnerability of the pipeline to other anchor strikes. LANSING – If the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline across the Straits of Mackinac ruptures, the various agreements involving the pipeline do not require the company to pay for the cost of cleanup and remediation, a study commissioned by the departments of Attorney General and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says. The remainder were found by the public or Enbridge staff on the ground. But the deal was signed by Enbridge Energy Company Inc., a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., which is based in Calgary, Alberta. Enbridge, for its part, said the pipeline is safe, as evidenced by the recently granted PHMSA approval of the replacement project. According to the data, the largest spills happened earlier in Line 5's history -- apart from a fairly well known 222,600-gallon oil and natural gas liquid spill near Crystal Falls in 1999, caused by the line lying on a rock, which forced the evacuation of about 500 people after responders ignited a vapor cloud that sparked a 36-hour long fire. Wallace said mapping the data reveals incident clusters that may indicate potential chronic problems with certain sections of pipe, which is not "seamless" through most of its path through Michigan -- the exception being under the straits -- but rather rolled like a cigarette and welded together with a seam. Some of the natural gas liquids are refined into propane and used in the Upper Peninsula, while other products are routed for processing at oil refineries in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio. In March, Enbridge admitted that parts of Line 5 under the straits had lost its outer wrap anticorrosion coating, although there's no bare metal exposed. Mike Ludwig talks to Whitney Gravelle, an attorney for the Bay Mills Indian Community, about the fight against Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. The Second Agreement also added safety enhancements along the entire length of the Line 5 petroleum pipeline crossing the state, such as providing a radar system to track wave heights in the Straits to inform whether conditions require the pipeline to be temporarily shut down, install cameras to monitor boat traffic to make sure none is dragging its anchor through the Straits, guarantee Enbridge can make available up to $1.8 billion is available to Enbridge for cleanup should a spill occur, require immediate additional safety measures at 13 priority Line 5 water crossings across the state and permanently banning the transport of heavy crude oil through the pipeline. Using data from Enbridge's own reports, the Polaris Institute calculated that 804 spills occurred on Enbridge pipelines between 1999 and 2010. News of the damage comes a day after Enbridge announced a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that includes $6.7 million in fines for failing to quickly address pipeline safety issues within its Lakehead Pipeline System, which includes Line 5 and other Midwest pipelines.. The NWF says that's a troubling reminder of the colossal failure that caused the Line 6B spill into the Kalamazoo River in 2010, when the company didn't notice the pipeline had ruptured until being alerted by an outside caller 17 hours later. The cause was recorded as a seal that failed due to "normal wear and tear.". The NWF has taken an aggressive stance against the pipeline, fighting the government and Enbridge in court to shut down the controversial submerged Line 5 segment. Under the agreement, Enbridge will undertake an enhanced inspection and stewardship regimen. … ”. https://www.mlive.com/news/2017/04/enbridge_line_5_spill_history.html That kind of failure caused the Line 6B disaster. 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