Oil Company Agrees to Mackinac Straits Heavy Crude Oil Ban

The agreement places a permanent ban on use of the aging pipeline to transport heavy crude, according to a joint statement by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant and Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh.

This agreement formally implements the first recommendation of the Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force Report released in July to ban heavy crude oil in Line 5. This a binding legal agreement that can be enforced in court.

“This agreement reflects the shared DNA that we in Michigan have with our Great Lakes,” Schuette said. “This prohibits heavy crude oil from flowing under the deep waters of the Straits of Mackinac.”

As outlined in the Task Force Report, the U.S. Coast Guard has publicly acknowledged that it does not have the capabilities to properly remediate a spill of heavy crude oil should it occur in the Mackinac Straits.

“During Task Force deliberations it became apparent that the transport of heavy crude under the Straits of Mackinac could pose some complex challenges to emergency responders protecting our Great Lakes resources,” Creagh said. “This binding agreement solidifies the company’s commitment not to transfer heavy crude under the Straits, which further advances protections for the Great Lakes.”

Related:

• Enbridge on Notice to Reinforce Pipelines to Avoid Great Lakes Catastrophe
• Coast Guard’s Alarming Warning on Great Lakes Oil Spill
• ‘Pinhole-Sized’ Pipeline Lake Heightens Great Lakes Fears
• Activists: Plug Straits of Mackinac Pipeline Before Catastrophe
• Task Force: Straits of Mackinac Pipeline Wouldn’t Be Allowed Today
• Group Forms Human Oil Drop in Call to Shut Down Pipeline

“Although Enbridge does not and has not used Line 5 for heavy crude, I am pleased with the additional layer of protection this agreement provides to prevent an environmental and economic catastrophe in the Straits,” Wyant said. “I appreciate Enbridge’s willingness to work with the state to protect our world-class natural resources.”

In addition to the signing of this agreement, Gov. Rick Snyder today issued an executive order creating the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board.

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