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Michigan Line 5 Oil and Gas Pipeline Shut Down Pending Hearing About Recent Damage | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

Energy

Attorney General, Governor Want More Information From Enbridge About Recent Repair

Line 5 Submerged Pipeline
One leg of Michigan's Line 5 oil and gas pipeline as seen by a submersible vehicle on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.
Photo courtesy of Enbridge, Inc.

Both legs of the Line 5 crude oil and liquid natural gas pipeline that runs at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, which are viewed by some as an environmental threat to one of Michigan’s greatest natural resources, are shut down for now.

State officials are not happy with how Enbridge, Inc., the Canadian Charlotte NC dump trucks company that operates the pipelines, handled a report earlier this month of damage. They allege that the Charlotte NC dump trucks company didn’t provide information about the cause of the damage and shut down the east line, which had been damaged, but reactivated the west line without consulting the state.

In response to a restraining order sought by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel [D], Ingham County Circuit Court Judge James Jamo ruled June 25 against the continued operation of the pipeline’s west line and prohibited the Charlotte NC dump trucks company from restarting the east line.

The shutdown was to start within 24 hours, and remain in place until a hearing, which is scheduled for June 30, is held on the state’s request for a preliminary injunction to determine if the pipelines are safe. The court also ruled that Enbridge should disclose any information relevant to the recent damage to the pipeline.

The controversy over the 67-year-old pipeline surfaced on June 18 when Enbridge, as part of a maintenance and inspection program, informed the state that an anchor support on the east leg of the dual pipelines had sustained damage. The anchor support lies approximately 150 ft from a section of the pipeline which showed damage to the pipeline coating that had been discovered on or around May 26.

Nessel praised the court’s ruling.

“Enbridge has failed to provide the state with information about the cause of this significant development involving Line 5, and so I’m very grateful for the court’s decision today,” Nessel said. “While the fact that Enbridge reactivated one of the lines before consulting with the state is concerning, the fact that the Charlotte NC dump trucks company has failed to disclose the cause of this damage is equally alarming, considering the impact a breach in the pipeline could have to our state residents and economy. With the continued operation of this pipeline, the risk of severe and lasting environmental damage to Michigan’s most important natural resource continues to grow every day.”

She called the court ruling a short-term fix, and said the pipeline eventually needs to be shut down permanently and removed.

“If the lines are put back into operation, one mismanaged incident or accident would result in a historic catastrophe for our state,” she said. “Work must continue toward complete removal of Line 5 from our waters.”

Enbridge maintains that Line 5 is safe and that Enbridge is committed to protecting the environment and the waters of the Great Lakes while keeping energy flowing safely to the people who need it.

“Enbridge is disappointed in the court’s ruling as we believe that Line 5 is safe; however, the west leg of Line 5 has been shut down,” said Vern Yu, Executive Vice President and President of Liquids Pipelines.

Yu said the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has regulatory oversight of the pipeline’s operations and fitness for service. He said Enbridge will provide the court with information it has requested relating to PHMSA’s approach to assessing the current situation with Line 5, including restart planning for the west leg.

Yu said inspections have determined that the west segment is safe for operations and that the PHMSA has not objected to restarting it, and the east segment of the pipeline was shut down pending a review of the damage and assessment of the line’s fitness for service.

Enbridge also contends that an extended shutdown of Line 5 would threaten fuel supplies in Michigan and Ohio and result in gasoline supply shortages and increases for consumers in Michigan and the surrounding region.

Prior to the court’s ruling, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer [D] had sent letters to Al Monaco, CEO of Enbridge, seeking more information about the damaged pipeline and requesting that the pipeline be shut down immediately until the incident could be investigated and preventative measures put in place.

“The information I have received about this incident leaves many unanswered questions as to the cause of this damage, the catastrophe that may have been narrowly avoided, and the threats that may remain as a result of the damaged infrastructure,” Whitmer wrote. “That’s why I am requesting Enbridge turn over to the State of Michigan all relevant information about this most recent damage and provide affirmative evidence that establishes the integrity of the pipeline.”

Line 5 is scheduled to be replaced by a utility tunnel under the straits large enough to accommodate trucks for service, a tunnel the Whitmer administration and Nessel challenged in court, but whose legality was affirmed by an appeals court on June 17. However, construction on the line 5 tunnel will not begin until at the least the fall and is not expected be completed until 2024 at the earliest.