Harrison Township, MI – Today, Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) renewed her call for the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to expand a planned hearing on September 15, 2010 to investigate the July 25th Enbridge pipeline rupture in Marshall, Michigan to also investigate a serious problem in the pipeline under the St. Clair River. On August 3, 2010, Miller sent a letter to Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar asking him to expand the hearing to include an investigation of other “anomalies” in the Enbridge Line 6B pipeline which passes through much of Southeast Michigan before passing under the St. Clair River and terminating in Sarnia, Ontario. Miller issued the following statement:
“Since the rupture of line 6B and the oil spill in Marshall, I have had great concern about other problems associated with this pipeline, particularly where it flows under the St. Clair River. Recent communication I have received from Enbridge makes me more certain than ever that the scheduled hearings in Congress need to be expanded to investigate a serious issue that exists under the St. Clair River.
“In a letter I received on August 20, 2010 from the company, Enbridge indicated that there is a dent in the pipeline under the St. Clair River which was discovered in August 2009. Due to the difficulties in accessing the site, Enbridge has not yet developed a long-term remediation plan for this section of pipeline. While Enbridge has given assurances that the issue under the St. Clair River is being handled appropriately, given the fact that this line has ruptured already in Marshall combined with the incident in Clearbrook, Minnesota in November 2007 in which two workers were killed when a pipeline exploded following insufficient repairs for which Enbridge was recently fined $2.5 million for violations of safety regulations, I believe Congress must provide sufficient oversight so that Enbridge and the regulators understand that we will not accept a tragic incident under the St. Clair River.
“There are multiple water intake pipes along the St. Clair River that provide the drinking water for millions in Southeast Michigan. 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 possible shut down one of the busiest shipping lanes in our nation and have a devastating impact on our economy. Congress has a responsibility to provide appropriate oversight to ensure that such an event is not allowed to occur. It is my responsibility to ask very pointed questions concerning the issue in Line 6B under the St. Clair River at our hearing on September 15th of both Enbridge and the regulators and I will carry out that responsibility. This issue should be an official item on the agenda so that both the Enbridge representatives and the PHMSA can be properly prepared to answer these questions.”
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