EPA says Enbridge has not completed cleanup of 2010 Michigan oil spill

MARSHALL, Mich. - It isn't always visible, but there is still oil contaminating the Kalamazoo River Basin more than a year after an Enbridge petroleum pipeline ruptured near Marshall.

"The river looks great," observes Environmental Protection Agency emergency response chief Mark Durno. "The problem isn't what you see. It's what you don't see."

On Aug. 17, government and company representatives presented an update on the cleanup effort to a crowd at the Marshall Community Center.

The EPA says three quarters of a million gallons of spilled oil has been recovered, but there are still 100,000 gallons out there, mostly on the bottom of the Kalamazoo River.

"There is still submerged oil spread along 35 miles of the river impacted by the spill," EPA regional administrator Susan Hedman told the audience.

"There is oil in the river," agrees Bob Sackrider, who owns riverfront property. " You can see the oil in the river, so it's there."

On July 26, 2010, Enbridge Line 6B ruptured and spilled at least 843,000 gallons of oil into Talmage Creek and the Kalamazoo River.

Enbridge crews are stirring up the oil on the river bottom so it rises to the surface. They skim it off and then repeat the process.

"We assess, we clean and after we are done cleaning we reassess," says Dumo.

"We will stay and keep working until the river is restored," adds Hedman.

Enbridge restarts Michigan oil pipeline in stages

LANSING, Mich. - After a two-month shutdown, oil began flowing again on Sept. 27 through Enbridge Line 6B.

The line has been shut since late July after spilling an estimated 19,500 barrels of Canadian tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River watershed.

In a short statement, Enbridge Inc. confirmed the gradual restart of the pipeline running between Griffith, Ind., and Sarnia, Ontario.

The company reported a massive oil leak in Marshall, Mich., on July 26.

Enbridge said the restart is a "staged process" run in accordance with a restart plan approved by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Sept. 27 was the earliest a gradual return to service was permitted by federal regulators.

The pipeline was being restarted at lower pressure. An independent third party that reports to federal regulators will help monitor the restart.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a statement saying it also was keeping tabs on Enbridge during the restart and had staff located throughout the pipeline system to oversee it.

Enbridge will have to make multiple repairs on the pipeline within 180 days, and it will have one year to replace a section of dented pipe running under the St. Clair River in southeast Michigan.

In August, Enbridge estimated cleanup and other costs from the spill could be $300 million to $400 million. The charges include the emergency response, cleanup, repairs, claims by third parties, lost revenue and other items. It excludes possible fines and penalties. Insurance is expected to cover most of the cost.

More than 1,500 oil-damaged birds and animals have been rescued from the spill site. More than 1,300 turtles, more than 100 Canada geese and several muskrats, swans, herons, snakes and frogs have been rehabilitated and released.

Note to subscribers: If you would like a copy of the 20-page Enbridge restart proposal to PHMSA, email ngriese@ anvilpub.com.

Regulators OK Enbridge Line 6B restart, order anomalies fixed

MARSHALL, Mich. - More repairs will be required as part of a deal that will permit Enbridge Energy Partners LP to restart Line 6B, which ruptured and spilled an estimated 19,500 barrels of Canadian synbit (upgraded bitumen) into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River watershed in July.

The Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration notified Enbridge on Sept. 22 that its was approving the latest restart plan for the pipeline, which runs from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario.

Federal regulators said in a letter to the company that they want dozens of pipeline anomalies fixed within 180 days of a restart. A dented pipeline that runs beneath the St. Clair River would have to be replaced within one year of a restart.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer of Michigan released the letter of approval on Sept. 20, before the letter was received by Enbridge.

More about the restart and fixes in future articles.

Meanwhile, we have a copy of Enbridge’s restart plan. If you are a subscriber and would like a copy of the 20-page restart plan that Enbridge filed with PHMSA, email ngriese@anvilpub.com.

EPA says it has begun criminal probe of Enbridge Michigan accident

MARSHALL, Mich. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 8 said during a conference call with reporters that its criminal arm was investigating the July rupture of Enbridge Line 6B in Calhoun County, Mich.
The EPA announced in early August that it was conducting a civil investigation, but this is the first time the EPA has acknowledged a criminal probe into the ruptured line that spilled an estimated 19,500 barrels of synbit (upgraded tarsands crude oil) into the Kalamazoo River watershed.
On top of the civil and criminal investigations by the EPA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the U.S. House Transportation Committee and the Michigan attorney general’s office all have active investigations into the incident as well. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating.
In the Sept. 8 call, EPA Region 5 Director Susan Hedman confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the Grand Rapids office in Michigan have initiated yet another investigation into allegations that a subcontractor had hired undocumented workers to work on the cleanup for 12 to 14 hours a day.