Port Huron, MI – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today held a briefing with representatives from Enbridge and first responders from St. Clair County and Canada to review the details of Enbridge’s planned pipeline replacement in Line 6B under the St. Clair River and discuss areas of improvement for mitigation exercises in the event of a future disaster. Enbridge has submitted their plan to replace the entire crossing to the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and will begin work on the pipeline early next year and expecting to complete work in mid-2011.

“The rupture of the pipeline resulting in an oil spill in Marshall, MI was a warning bell – a warning that made it apparent that our emergency notification protocols must be working at the highest levels to deal with any potential spill. In many cases, we don’t have a good handle on the location of all the pipelines that run through our county, nor in some cases do first responders know who to contact in the event of a mishap. Today’s meeting was to ensure that the men and women who will undoubtedly be first on the scene in any incident have the appropriate contacts so we can be better prepared in the event of a leak in the pipelines that traverse the county.

“My principal advocacy since I became an elected official is the preservation of our magnificent Great Lakes – which make up 20 percent of the fresh drinking supply of the entire planet. In fact, millions of Michiganians rely on the Lakes every day for their fresh water drinking supplies, and millions more rely on the ability of commercial vessels to transit raw materials. I believe that we must have zero tolerance for error in this vital location because of the environmentally sensitive area that this pipeline runs through. Coordination among first responders, emergency management officials and companies who operate pipelines in our area is vital to reduce the chance for mishaps and to mitigate a spill as quickly as possible.”

Congresswoman Miller, a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, called attention to the dent in the pipeline that runs under the St. Clair River during a hearing on September 15, 2010 which investigated the July 25th Enbridge Line 6B pipeline rupture in Marshall, MI. The Enbridge Line 6B pipeline passes through much of Southeast Michigan before passing under the St. Clair River and terminating in Sarnia, Ontario.

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