#Enbridgeline5

[shutdownline5]

Spills on Aging Enbridge Pipeline Have Topped 1 Million Gallons, Report Says

4/26/2017 - Inside Climate News

“In January, the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians voted not to renew easements that allowed the pipeline to pass through tribal lands in northern Wisconsin. The easements expired in 2013 and are typically needed for pipelines on native land.

Robert Blanchard, chairman of the Bad River Band, said that he hadn't known there were so many spills along Line 5, but that he wasn't surprised. "A line that's 64 years old, you're going to have some questions about that. Is it really as good as they say it is? I don't think so."

Blanchard said they have no intention of renewing the easement, and that they may end up in court defending their right to do so.

At the same time, state and national officials are pushing legislation to either shut the line down or review whether it is safe enough to continue operating.

On Jan. 12, U.S. Reps. Dave Trott (R-Mich.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) introduced legislation calling for a shutdown of the pipeline if a federal study determines it poses significant threat to the Great Lakes.

...

While politicians from both sides of the aisle raise questions about the pipeline's safety and its potential threat to the Great Lakes, the Trump administration has moved in a different direction. In an executive order issued on Jan. 24, President Trump ordered an expedited approval process for high priority infrastructure projects—including pipelines. And the administration's proposed budget would eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that directs funds to various state and local environmental projects to protect and restore the lakes.“

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25042017/enbridge-pipeline-mackinac-line-5-michigan-oil-spill-risk

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Group finds more oil and gas spills from Enbridge’s Line 5 than previously thought

4/26/2017 - Midwest Energy News

“Duffy added that in the past 15 years, Enbridge counts “three incidents on Line 5 that have resulted in a total of approximately 21 barrels (882 gallons) of product being released off the mainline. All of the product released during these three incidents was recovered. There has never been an incident along Line 5 at the Straits.”

However, those figures are vastly different from what the National Wildlife Federation found. The group counted 14 incidents since 2002 totaling roughly 27,000 gallons released.

Responding to the difference in figures, Duffy said: “Any other releases in that time frame would have happened within our facilities. And when that happens nearly all of that product can be recovered and put back into the system.”

But Wallace said those releases “very much should be” included in the total amount of incidents.

“Pumping stations and other above ground equipment, along Line 5, would not be in operation without Line 5 and those parts of the system are as much of a risk to the public and our environment as the below ground equipment,” Wallace responded.”

http://midwestenergynews.com/2017/04/26/group-finds-more-oil-and-gas-spills-from-enbridges-line-5-than-previously-thought/

[shutdownline5]

Enbridge Line 5 has spilled at least 1.1M gallons in past 50 years

4/26/2017 - MLive

“The organization released the results of Wallace's research this week, estimating that Line 5, which runs from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ontario by way of Michigan, has spilled at least 1.13 million gallons of oil in 29 incidents since 1968.

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 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. Regulatory requirements during much of the 1980s stipulated Enbridge only had to report spills to the state, not the federal government.

Many incidents were related to construction mishaps. Others were caused by manufacturing defects in the pipe, such as stress cracking along a seam.

The most common theme was the method of spill discovery.

"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.

Many of the spills incident records do not say how the leak was initially detected. The remainder were found by the public or Enbridge staff on the ground.

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.”

All pipelines leak, from Enbridge’s mouth:

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.

"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.

...

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. The cause was recorded as a seal that failed due to "normal wear and tear."

Danger, danger:

“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.

...

In 1972 near Iron River, a 252,000-gallon spill was caused by a longitudinal weld failure. A resulting fire injured two people.“

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/enbridge_line_5_spill_history.html

[shutdownline5]

Senator Rick Jones’ Senate Bill no. 292

3/30/2017 - introduced in Lansing

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2017-2018/billintroduced/Senate/pdf/2017-SIB-0292.pdf

It says NO NEW pipelines in the Great Lakes bottomlands; shut down any that are not safe! (cough, Line 5)

[shutdownline5]

State wants answers on condition of Mackinac pipeline

3/9/2017 - Detroit Free Press

“In a letter to Enbridge Vice President of U.S. Operations Brad Shamla on Wednesday, Schuette, along with DNR Director Keith Creagh and acting DEQ Director C. Heidi Grether, called on the company to provide detailed information on so-called holidays on Line 5 — an oil and gas industry term for areas on a pipeline where anti-corrosive coating is missing.

In an Enbridge-prepared report dated Sept. 27 of last year, the company proposed to conduct sampling to examine the impact of invasive zebra and quagga mussels, as well as impacts from other aquatic organisms, at various locations along the pipelines, including the "limited numbers of areas of the pipeline where there is a loss of coating around the pipe ('holidays')."

The "Biota Investigation Work Plan," compiled for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was a requirement of Enbridge's $177-million settlement with the U.S. government for the 2010 Line 6B oil pipeline spill into the Kalamazoo River — the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history, taking four years and more than $1 billion to clean up — and another 2010 spill in Illinois.

Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy told The Free Press last month that the report “works off some hypotheticals," adding,  “There’s not exposed pipe anywhere down there that we’ve ever seen, surveyed, anything like that.”

But the report not only refers to the areas missing covering as existing facts, it includes illustrations mapping where they are on the pipes, 19 areas Enbridge states it will test for corrosion.

In their letter to Enbridge, Schuette, Creagh and Grether also note that Enbridge's plan states it was prepared, in part, by "assessing video photography of the dual pipelines from 2014 and 2016 (underwater inspections)." A later portion of the plan states, "At each of the holiday areas where bare metal is exposed," cathodic protection of the pipe against corrosion will be recorded.”

...

“It's more than confusing, said Michigan Sierra Club Chairman David Holtz.

"Enbridge seems to be saying, 'Don't trust your lying eyes,'" he said.”

PLUS:

“The nonprofit National Wildlife Federation on Thursday released a report by retired Dow Chemical engineer Ed Timm finding that the currents under the Straits of Mackinac are nearly double the assumption used in 1952 to design the pipeline. Timm's report questions whether Line 5 inspections have historically been comprehensive enough and states his belief that evidence exists that the underwater pipelines are showing signs of fatigue.

Combined with the weight of tens of thousands of zebra and quagga mussels — which were not in the Great Lakes when the pipeline was designed — and sections of the pipeline that have not been supported as required by the state, Timm concludes that the pipeline may not be “fit for service," which is a requirement for pipeline operations.

"When Enbridge Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac was designed by Bechtel Inc., in 1953, the maximum current they expected it to be subjected to was 2.25 m.p.h.," Timm said. "Since 1991, four different measurements of the maximum current velocity in the vicinity of the pipeline have measured peak current events where the velocity is nearly twice this value.

"These peak current events have been calculated to apply enough force to the pipeline to permanently bend and fatigue exposed sections of the pipe. ... While I cannot prove conclusively that Line 5 is an imminent hazard because of these calculations, Enbridge certainly cannot prove there is not a problem here, and the line should be restricted until appropriate studies are done to get to the bottom of this subject."”

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/03/09/enbridge-straits-pipeline-coating/98965800/

[shutdownline5]

Sen. Gary Peters: Shut down Enbridge Line 5, upgrade Soo Locks

6/9/2017 - Stateside, Michigan Radio

If you can’t bring steel through the locks, it would cause a recession across the U.S.

Re: Line 5 - What can Congress do? (17:40)

“Well, there’s a variety of things we can do, and I agree our long-term goal needs to be to shut down this pipeline. In fact, a University of Michigan study was very clear, it said that the absolute worst place to have a pipeline break anywhere in the entire Great Lakes basin is the Straits of Mackinac. So to me, that’s an unacceptable risk. I have taken a number of actions in Congress, until we get to the point we shut it down that make sure we’re dealing with it. 

But we also have to be dealing with pipelines all throughout the Great Lakes region. That Line 5, it’s a problem not just for the Straits of Mackinac, it runs the whole length of the U.P., very sensitive ecological areas, a pipeline break there could also get into the Great Lakes. And so I was able to get two pieces of legislation passed last year. 

One will now categorize the entire Great Lakes basin as a high-consequence area, which means it’s subjected to the most vigorous federal oversight of any other pipeline, so the whole basin is now in that area. 

And I was also able to get language to require companies to, when they have a response plan, should there be a break, to consider ice cover.* Surprisingly enough, that was never a requirement, and think of the Straits of Mackinac, how difficult would it be. Just think of the Straits of Mackinac, how difficult it is already to clean it up already, the currents are strong, they go east, they go west, the amount of water that goes through the Straits is equal to ten times that of Niagara Falls. So, now imagine a thick layer of ice over all of that. The Coast Guard, in hearings before my committee, basically in answer to a question of mine, said, no, we’re not very comfortable we could actually clean up a spill with thick ice. So now we will require that. 

And that leads to the legislation that I just recently introduced, with Senator Stabenow, that now increases the liability for pipelines that are in the Great Lakes.** Currently, Great Lakes pipelines in the Straits, Line 5, is considered an onshore pipeline, so there’s liability caps. The company doesn’t have to pay for all of the cleanup, only up to the cap. But if you’re an offshore pipeline, it’s unlimited, you have to pay every single penny of cleanup. And so the bill we’ve introduced says that Great Lakes pipelines, particularly Line 5, is an offshore pipeline, and I challenge anybody, go stand on the banks of the Straits and look, that’s offshore, that’s not an inshore pipeline that’s going through that area. So you’ll have to, you’ll have unlimited liability, the company will also have to prove they actually have the resources to cover what would be an extremely expensive endeavor, and then it also gives the Secretary of Transportation the power to shut down a pipeline if it is determined that they do not have the ability to conduct that cleanup, either financially or perhaps because of weather conditions. If there’s ice cover and you can’t clean up a disaster, at a minimum, you should not be operating that pipeline during the time there’s ice cover.” 

*current plan for ice cover -- stick wood through the ice, soak up oil that way.......sounds safe.

**no amount of money is enough to make up for crude oil leaking in the Great Lakes

http://michiganradio.org/post/sen-gary-peters-shut-down-enbridge-line-5-upgrade-soo-locks

[shutdownline5]

Petition targets ending oil in Line 5 pipeline

4/26/2017 - Detroit News

The Board of State Canvassers on Wednesday unanimously approved the form of a petition submitted by the recently formed ballot committee, which plans to begin collecting signatures as soon as next week.

“I read somewhere there were about 800,000 jobs that rely on the freshwater of the Great Lakes, and the risk of that thing breaking is just too dire,” committee chairman Phil Bellfy said of the 64-year-old pipeline that splits as it runs beneath turbulent waterways connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Petition language for the potential 2018 ballot proposal seeks to end a 1953 easement that allowed the pipeline and prohibit any new agreement that allows the transportation of crude oil or liquid petroleum products beneath the Great Lakes.

Pipeline owners would also be required to have an insurance policy or bond of at least $4 billion and a surety bond of at least $400 million to protect against cleanup costs for any potential leak.

“We think our proposal is very moderate,” said attorney Jeff Hank, noting the proposal would not prohibit pipeline transportation of propane used to heat homes in the Upper Peninsula.

“It doesn’t actually shut the pipeline down. We’re just asking for a cessation of the flow of crude oil and other safety measures.”

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/26/line-petition/100949846/

[shutdownline5]

Seven Years Later, Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Cleanup Still Ongoing

6/9/2017 - National Wildlife Federation

A new video released by the National Wildlife Federation highlights ongoing cleanup and monitoring efforts, as well as the long-term effects, of the 2010 rupture of Enbridge (U.S) Inc.’s Line 6B oil pipeline, which spilled between 840,000 and 1.1 million gallons of oil.

“We’re now at nearly seven years after the spill,” says Dr. Kenneth Kornheiser, acting president of the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, “so far they have gotten about, oh, three miles (out of 35) at which they say they have approved the ‘no further action required’ report.”

...

“The cruel irony is we knew this pipeline had defects right in that section where it ruptured over Talmage Creek. We knew.” says former Congressman Mark Schauer, who represented the area at the time. “We also know where Line 5 runs under the Straits of Mackinac.”

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Wildlife/2017/6-9-17-Seven-Years-Later-Kalamazoo-River-Oil-Spill-Cleanup-Still-Ongoing.aspx

[shutdownline5]

Sierra Club: “Independent” Alternatives Analysis for Pipeline Enbridge Line 5 compromised by conflicts of interest

3/9/17 - Sierra Club letter to the Michigan Pipeline Board, David Holtz

I am writing on behalf of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter to share growing concerns that the state’s Independent Alternatives Analysis may be compromised by a pattern and practice of allowing multiple conflicts of interest involving Enbridge Energy Partners, the oil industry and state contractors.

...

1) Enbridge and the oil industry have seats on the Pipeline Safety Advisory Board advising Gov. Snyder on Line 5...

2) Over publicly raised objections from Sierra Club, Enbridge in 2016 provided $3.6 million to fund the state’s Alternatives and Risk Analysis for Line 5, giving them additional potential leverage over the process for developing the project’s Scope of Work and selection of contractors

3) A Canadian firm, Dynamic Risk, was selected by the State of Michigan as lead contractor for the Line 5 alternatives analysis. Dynamic assembled a Project Team with members who have a history and track record with Enbridge, either directly or through governmental work. Dynamic itself conducted studies for Canadian officials that led to the approval by Quebec authorities of the reversal and expansion of 39-year-old Enbridge Line 9B, which in March 2016 began transporting heavy crude oil from western Canada to Sarnia, Ontario....  

4) Dynamic Risk provided to the State of Michigan an April 2016 Scope of Work for the Line 5 alternatives study examining six alternative choices for the future of Line 5. But just one alternative was described by Dynamic Risk in a qualitative way emphasizing positive attributes: building a new oil pipeline tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac....

5) Rather than focus on Line 5’s comparatively small role in Michigan’s energy economy, the state’s Line 5 Scope of Work requires an eight-state regional analysis in assessing Line 5’s economic impact. The State of Michigan has no statutory or other legal responsibility for the economies of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin but nevertheless chose to measure the economic impact of decommissioning Line 5 on those states as well as Ontario, Canada. The state’s decision to regionalize its economic analysis and extend it to incorporate Line 5’s role within Enbridge’s vast regional pipeline network has the potential to skew the analysis toward Enbridge’s interests.

http://mi-environmental-news.blogspot.com/2016/10/blog-post.html