WASHINGTON — Members of Michigan's congressional delegation on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump's administration to shut down the Line 5 oil and gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac after it was recently damaged.
Democratic members of the delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao asking her to force Enbridge, which owns the 67-year-old dual pipelines, to temporarily shut down operation of both while the extent of the damage is determined.
Enbridge, in response to the letter, said it is safe to operate the pipeline which was not damaged.
Last week, Enbridge alerted state officials that it had discovered an anchor support on the eastern pipeline running along the bottom of the straits between lakes Michigan and Huron had suffered significant damage. While the company initially shut down both pipelines, it reopened the western line on Saturday.
More: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer questions Enbridge CEO about new Line 5 pipeline damage
State Attorney General Dana Nessel filed motions in court to try to stop the reopening. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement in support of that move, saying Enbridge reopened the western pipeline "without any explanation of the cause for the damage to the pipeline structure or plan to prevent it from happening again."
In their letter, the legislators say that, "Given the uncertainty that remains surrounding this incident and how the support anchor was damaged or moved, we feel it is inappropriate to continue operating the west leg of the pipeline, while the east leg remains under investigation."
"We believe the continued operation of the pipelines constitutes an unsafe practice when considered in the context of the unsafe condition presented by the loose anchor, and ultimately comprises an imminent hazard that should be abated," they wrote. "We, therefore, strongly urge you to immediately use all of your available authorities to temporarily shut-down the dual pipelines without delay until a full investigation is completed, and it is deemed completely safe."
As secretary of the Transportation Department, Chao has authority over the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which oversees pipelines and pipeline operators. The letter also asked Chao to provide answers to several questions about the damage and when PHMSA was notified.
Besides Dingell, the letter was signed by U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin of Holly, Dan Kildee of Flint Township, Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township, Brenda Lawrence of Southfield, Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and Haley Stevens of Rochester Hills.
Enbridge put out a statement saying the west leg of the pipelines was restarted only "after a thorough review and consultation" with PHMSA.
“We have been working very closely with (the agency) to ensure it is able to assess the safety of the dual pipelines. This included informing them of our completion of Remote Operated Vehicle inspections of the west leg of the line, which confirmed there was no mechanical damage to the pipeline or any support-anchors," said Enbridge Executive Vice President Vern Yu. “We continue to work with PHMSA to answer their questions about our assessments of the dual pipelines.”
The company said Line 5 remains "a critical source of 540,000 barrels per day of propane and crude oil supply for Michigan and surrounding areas."
Contact Todd Spangler at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.
"Shut" - Google News
June 24, 2020 at 10:04PM
https://ift.tt/2NtYh58
Democratic legislators ask Trump administration to shut down Line 5 while damage assessed - Detroit Free Press
"Shut" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d35Me0
https://ift.tt/2WkO13c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Democratic legislators ask Trump administration to shut down Line 5 while damage assessed - Detroit Free Press"
Post a Comment