Port Huron Times Herald Editorial

Enbridge Energy Partners, the company responsible for the oil spill near Marshall last month, is not a business that inspires public confidence. For that reason, the standards of public accountability must be applied to the status of Line 6B, the pipeline that ruptured and spilled 820,000 gallons of oil into a Kalamazoo River tributary.

Part of the company's 1,900-mile Lakehead System, the pipeline that transports crude oil from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, has a dent in the section beneath the St. Clair River near Marysville. About 7 inches long and 12 inches wide, the dent is on the top of the pipeline. If it ruptured, the spill would go directly into the river.

Enbridge officials see no urgency in fixing the problem. President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Daniel and Vice President Stephen Wuori said last week the pipeline's pressure was reduced after the dent was discovered a year ago.

The company is ready to test the line by pumping water through it. If the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration gives its approval, Enbridge hopes to restart the line.

Neither step should be taken before a congressional committee takes a close look at the July 25 oil spill and determines if pipeline safety standards should be improved.

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, is calling for the Sept. 15 congressional hearing to include an investigation of the pipeline's dent. In a letter to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar, Miller made a compelling case.

"There are multiple water intake pipes along the St. Clair River that provide the drinking water for millions in Southeast Michigan," Miller wrote.

"The river also flows into Lake St. Clair and on to the Detroit River and Lake Erie. An accident similar to the event that occurred in Marshall would be simply catastrophic to our region. Not only would it negatively affect our drinking water supply, but could possibly shut down one of the busiest shipping lanes in our nation and have a devastating impact on our economy."

Miller isn't saying the St. Clair River dent poses an immediate safety problem. With no conclusions about the oil spill's cause, however, reviewing the pipeline's integrity -- particularly the section beneath the St. Clair River -- is a reasonable step.

The Detroit Free Press reported Enbridge found more than 200 irregularities along Line B. The St. Clair River dent was not among the pipeline's problems the company planned to fix.

Miller is right to ask that the hearing take a look at the St. Clair River pipeline. Such a review is just common sense.