The pipeline that burst during the Enbridge tar sands oil spill in Michigan - July 2010

On November 9th, the U.S. EPA updated their webpage to reflect the latest recovery efforts for the Enbridge tar sands oil spill.  It is now being reported that well over 1.1 million gallons of tar sands oil has been recovered from the spill site. This is a difference of nearly 300,000 gallons of oil from the 840,000 that Enbridge is reporting as spilled.

Clean-up of the Enbridge tar sands oil spill is scheduled to continue well into 2012, a sign that there is still much work to be done a year after one of the worst oil spills in Midwest history.

The EPA’s new estimate of recovered oil also underscores the severity of the Kalamazoo disaster; the need for more stringent reporting requirements to keep the public informed; and the lack of adequate protections to prevent a future disaster.

This kind of misreporting, on the part of Enbridge, emphasizes the concern that the National Wildlife Federation has over how poorly industry is regulated and held accountable when disasters occur.

The EPA’s estimate continues to call into question whether Enbridge is truly being open with the public.

The epidemic of pipeline accidents that are hurting communities from Michigan to California can only be prevented if Congress passes strong pipeline safety regulations. Until that time, these kinds of disasters will continue and we should not move forward on any new pipeline projects, like the Keystone XL.

Help the National Wildlife Federation protect against disasters like the Enbridge tar sands oil spill by supporting Choose Your Cause.

But one aspect of the Straits of Mackinac that I’m sure you’re unaware of is the presence of a 20 million gallon a day oil pipeline running right under our two Great Lakes.

Sitting just below the surface of our waterway is Line 5 of Enbridge’s Lakehead system, which connects the Alberta tar sands region to refineries here in Michigan and the Midwest. This pipeline is almost 60 years old, and Enbridge has plans to expand it without replacing it! This expansion is part of a larger strategy to deliver Alberta tar sands oil to the east coast for export.

If the company Enbridge sounds familiar to you, that’s for good reason. Last July, Enbridge was the pipeline operator that spilled nearly 1 million gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River watershed. This spill went unnoticed, by Enbridge, for nearly 13 hours before a local utility brought the devastating incident to their attention. Fifteen months later, the impacted sections of the Kalamazoo River remain closed to the public as air and water monitoring continues along with the clean-up of submerged oil.

Imagine how an oil spill and closure like that would impact our already suffering economy, fragile ecosystem and the billions of dollars we have invested into restoring and protecting our Great Lakes.

Adding to the concern and risk is how this industry is regulated, or lack thereof.  Enbridge is not required to disclose to federal regulators when product in that pipeline changes. This means that Line 5 could be transporting the more corrosive, toxic and unstable raw tar sands crude at any time without notifying anyone of the change.

Tar sands oil in the Kalamazoo River, one year later.

To date, Enbridge denies that the raw form of tar sands oil travels through Line 5, known as diluted bitumen. But disclosure of when product changes is not required by the federal oversight agency, Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, because they still have not updated rules and regulations around this new product. In their eyes, crude is crude.

Ask anyone from the Kalamazoo River area if they think crude is crude.

With the Kalamazoo River oil spill this past July, Enbridge and EPA officials did not learn quick enough that dealing with a tar sands oil spill is much more difficult than dealing with a conventional oil spill. Simply put, conventional clean-up techniques do not work because tar sands oil sinks in water, rather than floats, so the EPA and Enbridge are writing the book on how to clean up tar sands oil as they go along.

Given that pipeline operators and oversight agencies admit that they do not know how to properly respond to a tar sands oil spill, I would hope that Congress and the agencies responsible for pipeline safety would block future projects until proper safeguards are in place to protect our communities and natural resources from another disaster.

To learn more about ways you can help prevent expansion of tar sands pipelines and protect wildlife, please visit National Wildlife Federation Action Fund.

The pipeline that burst during the Enbridge tar sands oil spill in Michigan - July 2010

Around this time last year, I made an emergency trip home to Battle Creek, Mich., after hearing reports of a major oil spill in the Kalamazoo River. The oil disaster gushed nearly 1 million gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River watershed.

In the weeks following, I saw lives get turned upside down: families lost their homes, and many people fell ill from exposure to toxic benzene. I saw oil-soaked wildlife struggling to survive and wide-spread habitat destruction.

Now, a year later, I wanted to see whether Enbridge Oil had made any progress in cleaning up its oil spill—one that has turned out to be one of the worst ever in the Midwest. Unfortunately, the realities of a tar sands oil spill have proven that there’s a long way to go in the effort to restore the Kalamazoo River watershed for people and wildlife.

Tar sands oil on the Kalamazoo River, one year after the Enbridge oil spill. (Photo taken on July 18th, 2011 - by NWF's Beth Wallace)

On July 19, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed the findings from its spring river assessment. The agency quickly confirmed my worst fear: The impacted waterways are in much worse shape than anyone had thought due to tar sands oil sinking into the riverbed. The EPA has identified over 200 acres of submerged toxic tar sands oil that has spread, unseen, throughout 40 miles of waterway.

The EPA explained that they have identified locations of “heavily contaminated” sediment: Talmadge Creek, Ceresco, Mill Pond, and Marrow Lake (to name a few). Most shocking is Marrow Lake. Until now, it has been reported that little to no oil ever reached Marrow Lake. Now, it’s believed that large amounts of submerged tar sands oil contaminated the lake, under the surface of the water and undetected for nearly a year.

The EPA has given Enbridge until August 31 to address the areas identified in the spring assessment. After that date, the EPA will re-evaluate the extent of contamination from the submerged oil and what action needs to be taken. Meanwhile, Enbridge is collecting the toxic oil on the bottom of the river by dredging, aerating, and racking the river – then placing oil-collecting booms downriver to capture any oil that resurfaces.

With the resurfacing and mixing of oil comes continued disruption and devastation to wildlife habitat and wildlife. The Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) reported that since the start of 2011, an additional 287 oiled turtles have been captured and cleaned, while 47 turtles remain in care.

To add insult to injury, the heavy and toxic metals that are found in tar sands are starting to be detected along sections of the impacted Kalamazoo River, as reported by Todd A. Heywood (7-20-2011) with the American Independent:

In late August, 2010 EPA officials confirmed water samples were producing slight detection of both mercury and nickel — common heavy metal contaminates of tar sands oil. EPA said then the levels were nothing to be concerned about.

On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced it had been detecting several heavy metals and other contaminates at levels above what are considered safe.

“What we do see are elevated levels in areas of contamination that exceed some of the state’s criteria for groundwater and surface water criteria,” said a MDEQ official whose name was not clear in a recording of the press call with federal and state officials updating about the oil spill recovery work.

With the new discovery of vast quantities of submerged oil and elevated samples of heavy and toxic metals, doubts are arising about whether Enbridge Energy low-balled the size of the oil spill. The EPA is punting that question to Enbridge and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the cause of the pipeline spill - completing of that investigation is expected later this year or early 2012.

Talmadge Creek, One year after the Enrbidge tar sands oil spill

New details about the Enbridge oil disaster come as the nation grapples with two other high-profile pipeline failures near Yellowstone National Park and in Alaska. Yet, it amazes me that congressional leaders in Michigan, whose districts were personally impacted by this spill, are promoting tar sands and pipeline expansion before pipeline safety. The impacted communities of Michigan are in a unique position to pass along these lessons learned and demand change, yet our leaders continue to ignore the facts and side with big oil.

Before any other pipeline or tar sands projects gain approval, there needs to be environmental and human health impact studies to fully understand the impacts of a tar sands oil spill. Congress also needs to require a study on the impacts of transporting this more corrosive and toxic tar sands oil through our pipelines, which are not built for its corrosive nature and high pressures.

Before any pipeline project gains approval, like the Keystone XL, we need to fully understand what happened with Enbridge tar sands pipeline, line 6B, and the dozens of other pipeline spills that have happened in the last year. Congress needs to focus on increased pipeline safety to ensure that our communities, natural resources and wildlife will never face another oil spill disaster like the one in the Kalamazoo River.

Please reach out to our Congressional leaders and demand that we protect communities, wildlife and our natural resources before rushing dangerous tar sands pipeline projects, like the Keystone XL.

Aerial shot of Alberta tar sands taken during NWF flyover

Several Congressional members, and Great Lakes State Legislators, are shamefully showing support for the Keystone XL pipeline before pipeline safety and environmental concerns raised by the EPA, some members of Congress and over 265,000 citizens have been adequately addressed.

Oil extraction from the Alberta tar sands is under high scrutiny because tar sands extraction in Canada destroys boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and is leaving behind immense lakes of toxic waste. The proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline will import this toxic oil right through the heartland of America – threatening the Ogallala aquifer, wildlife and communities. In a recent report, Tar Sands Pipeline Safety Risks, it’s explained that transporting raw tar sands oil through pipelines is more corrosive, toxic, and unstable than conventional crude – yet current pipeline regulations do not take the corrosive and toxic nature of tar sands into account.

The pipeline that burst during the Enbridge tar sands oil spill in Michigan - July 2010

As discovered with the Enbridge MI oil spill, and the 12 tar sands spills that have happened along Keystone 1 in its first year of service, existing pipeline safety laws have failed and need to be updated to account for this highly corrosive and toxic tar sludge. Formal studies need to be conducted on the nature of this product and investigations into current oil spills need to be completed before any tar sands pipeline projects are considered.

Also, there’s extremely strong evidence showing that Keystone XL will actual increase gas prices for all of the Midwest, which our economies cannot afford. Recently exposed industry documents prove that the Keystone XL pipeline is going to be used to reduce Canadian oil supplies in America’s Midwest and increase prices by as much as 15 cents a gallon. In addition, this pipeline project will not to be energy security for the US, as many lawmakers are being led to believe, because the pipeline will be used to push oil to the Gulf for export to other counties – like China.

Oil in Montana's Yellowstone River (NWF's Alexis Bonogofsky)

It is not responsible for Great Lakes lawmakers to support and advocate for this project when we’ve experienced the devastating impacts of our inadequately regulated pipeline infrastructure through the Enbridge oil spill and now the Yellowstone River Exxon oil spill. Instead, all lawmakers should focus on the lessons learned and push for increased pipeline safety here in the Great Lakes and across the nation. We need to – first – properly regulate this industry instead of rushing pipeline expansion and undoubtedly harming wildlife, natural resources and communities.

The pipeline that burst during the Enbridge diluted bitumen oil spill in Michigan - July 2010

Pipelines are out of sight and often are out of mind for many Americans–including Congress and the agencies that regulate the pipelines.

Last year I learned this lesson the hard way when parts of my hometown were devastated by a massive tar sands (diluted bitumen) pipeline oil spill caused by Enbridge Energy. Before Enbridge realized there was a spill, they had allowed their pipeline to spew nearly 1 million gallons of diluted bitumen into the Kalamazoo River watershed– sickening people, killing wildlife and devastating over 30 miles of river.

The Enbridge spill, and the many others since, demonstrates the dangers of tar sands oil pipelines to people and wildlife habitat. Most the pipelines in this country were built for transporting conventional crudes.  However, in the last decade that conventional crude has switched to diluted bitumen (raw tar sands crude), as the Alberta tar sands region became more developed and oil companies discovered it more expensive to refine tar sands oil before shipment.

This unrefined tar sands oil, diluted bitumen, is more corrosive and toxic than conventional crudes.

NWF is urging pipeline regulatory agencies to halt all diluted bitumen pipeline construction projects and permits until investigations into recent pipeline spills are complete and appropriate regulations are in place to safeguards our communities and natural resources.

Kalamazoo River polluted with raw tar sands oil

The Enbridge spill is a prime example of what will go wrong when diluted bitumen oil pipelines do not have proper regulations in place. In a recent interview by NPR, Mark Durno with the Environmental Protection Agency - Region 5 gives his accounts into the difficulties of cleaning up diluted bitumen spills, also expressing his concerns over more frequent pipelines spills in the future.

As one would come to expect from oil companies, these oil pipeline operators are looking to make more money, as quickly as possible. Companies like Enbridge Energy and TransCanada are proposing massive tar sands pipeline expansion projects, like the Keystone XL–despite overwhelming local opposition and concerns around pipeline safety. These expansion projects provide several immediate and obvious risks:

• Locks Americans into an extremely dangerous and dirty energy future when our nation should focus on investing in renewable energy
• Continues to put communities, our land, our wildlife and natural resources at risk of more hazardous and frequent oil spills
• Will only continue to increase gas prices around parts of the US
• The expansion of the tar sands oil fields, in Alberta Canada, will continue to drastically increase greenhouse gas emissions adding to the climate change crisis.

Until the health and environmental impacts of the Enbridge spill are truly researched, and the investigation into these recent spills is complete – Congress, the Secretary of State and pipeline regulators should halt approval of all proposed projects.

The National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center is committed to helping the communities and wildlife impacted by the Enbridge oil spill. Help NWF hold dirty energy accountable. To learn more about this issue and help prevent expansions of these pipelines in our heartlands, please visit NWF Action Fund Center. Take action: Save Sandhill Cranes from a new tar sand oil pipeline.

Lake Michigan Shoreline, photo by Mick Stolz, Battle Creek, MI

If you’re from the Great Lakes region, chances are you’ve dipped your toes in the cold waters of Lake Superior, watched the sun set over Lake Michigan or fished off a pier in Lake Huron.

The Great lakes offer so much to those that live near and far; most people that are lucky enough to experience their beauty, walk away with a feeling of passion and enthusiasm to protect them.

Unfortunately, because industry and some legislators do not understand their importance, the Great Lakes are at risk of becoming the next oil spill victim.

Our country is allowing industry, like Enbridge Energy partners, to transport an unstable toxic oil and gas mix (diluted bitumen or dilbit), in and around our waters.

The growing concern around this unstable product was highlighted in a recent report titled: Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks.

Because the  issues discussed in the report impact the Great Lakes so severely, the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center held a forum in Battle Creek, MI to talk with residents directly about their personal impacts due to a tar sands oil spill, which spilled nearly 1 million gallons of toxic oil into the Kalamazoo River Watershed. When a tar sands oil spill occurs, the impacts are more devastating and much different than a conventional crude oil spill.

Residents from Calhoun County, MI learned more about this product and why they should be concerned about their health, the health of the river ecosystem, and long term impacts to their communities.

We also wanted to warn the public, representatives and government agencies that the same pipeline that has caused an insurmountable amount of damage to their homes has the potential to do the same over and over again – especially near the Great Lakes.

Residents from communities impacted by the Enbridge oil spill were asked to reach out to their members of Congress requesting that new laws and regulations be developed to safeguard the Great Lakes region from becoming the next victim.

Concerned community members also made a formal call for a long-term health study so that those still dealing with health issues can have the support they deserve and so first responders can better understand how to properly respond to a spill of this nature, once it occurs.

To learn more about this issue and help prevent expansions of these pipelines in our heartlands, please visit NWF Action Fund Center.

Also, watch these videos on how landowners are being bullied into having these dangerous pipelines built under their land.

The top three locations at risk of a raw tar sands oil spill from the Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks report

Impacted residents request support for a long-term health study at NWF’s forum, which disclosed impacts due to a raw tar sands oil spill.

According to a report that was released today by the National Resource Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust and Sierra Club – our country and the Great Lakes are facing an increased risk of major tar sands pipeline leaks.

Our nation has built a thick network of pipelines to transport refined oil. Those pipelines, and the rules and regulations around them, were built specifically for conventional crude transportation. 

However, in the last decade or so, tar sands oil companies (as a cost saving measure) have started pushing raw tar sands oil or Diluted Bitumen (DilBit) through those same pipelines - including an extensive network  within the Great Lakes.

This report explains how Dilbit is acidic, corrosive, toxic, and so thick that it requires high pressure and heat to move through our pipelines:

Dilbit pipelines, which require higher operating temperatures and pressure to move the thick material through a pipe, appear to pose new and significant risks of pipeline leaks or ruptures due to corrosion, as well as problems with leak detection and safety problems from the instability of Dilbit.

The authors explain that Enbridge’s 840,000 gallon spill in Michigan was tar sands oil and the timeline of events suggest that delays in the discovery of the rupture were due to the unpredictable nature of this product.

Leaks in Dilbit pipelines are often difficult to detect…pressure changes within the pipeline can cause the natural gas liquid condensate component to move from liquid to gas phase. 

During the Kalamazoo River spill, the Enbridge pipeline gushed for more than twelve hours before the pipeline was fully shut down, and initial investigation indicates that the pipeline’s monitoring data were interpreted to indicate a column separation rather than a leak.

There are also major difficulties in cleaning up a leak, once it occurs, because components of Dilbit will sink into the water column and wetland sediments.

All of these findings echo what the agencies involved in the Kalamazoo River clean-up have disclosed as challenges they are facing.

Even scarier, the report dives into impacts to the environment and human health. 

Dilbit contains hydrogen sulfide, a gas which can cause suffocation in concentrations over 100 parts per million and is identified by producers as a potential hazard associated with a Dilbit spill. Enbridge identified hydrogen sulfide as a potential risk to its field personnel during its cleanup of the Kalamazoo River spill.

And of course, anyone following the news of the Kalamazoo River oil spill heard about the harmful impacts from being exposed to Benzene, which is known to cause cancer and is a major concern for residents living along the river.  

What was not as well known and/or disclosed is information around the heavy metals found in Dilbit. Residents had this to say about the report findings:

 “We are heartbroken to find out that the oil spilled around our home contains heavy metals like nickel and arsenic. We live near the river and know that these toxins are not going to biodegrade, but only accumulate,” said Deb Miller who lives with her husband, Ken, in Ceresco, MI.

“Enbridge and the lead agencies involved in the clean-up need to tell residents that this is what’s going to remain in our river and home, indefinitely,” explained Susan Connolly from Marshall, MI.  This disaster is going to continue impacting our communities, families, and grandchildren.  I am devastated,” she added.

So where does that leave us?

Until our regulators fully understand this product and regulate accordingly, our country needs to halt all future projects.  Because tar sands oil is already being transported throughout the Great Lakes region, we need to contact congress demanding that they strengthen standards for pipelines.

Let Congress know that we need to hold these oil companies more liable, we need to invest in our resources, and we need our pipeline regulators to always understand what’s being transported throughout our country and to consider what’s at risk when we don’t.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Read more about how Enbridge is starting to back pedal on their legal liability around the largest tar sands oil spill in mid-west history. Also learn more about the proposed Northern Gateway Project by Enbridge and how it will impact pristine environments and extremely diverse coastlines.

The National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center is committed to helping the communities and wildlife impacted by the Enbridge oil spill. Help NWF hold dirty energy accountable. Take action here against dangerous tar sands pipelines.

Here is Todd Paglia’s take on what the Michigan oil spill means for the Pacific Northwest in his Huffington Post story.

Why are we not surprised? Six months after the Kalamazoo River oil spill, Enbridge is starting to deny legal liability for costs related to the oil spill, which dumped nearly 1 million gallons of tar sands oil into a major tributary to Lake Michigan. Last week, Enbridge also increased the estimated cost of the oil spill to $550 million – which creeps closer to their $650 million umbrella insurance policy. Will these denials continue as the cost of the clean-up approaches their coverage cap?

Enbridge’s latest move illustrates yet again why it is critical to hold corporate polluters accountable by increasing pipeline safety and regulation standards. The Michigan Messenger reported yesterday:

Bill Mayhall, the Attorney representing 10 households in Marshall and Battle Creek, Michigan explained: “Now they want us to prove that they are responsible for the spill.”

Enbridge argues that it cannot be held liable for the oil spill because it has followed all relevant laws, regulations and industry standards and the damage was not foreseeable.

Not foreseeable? What next – these spills are “Acts of God”?

All of this while Enbridge, on their very own company website, has this to say about their commitment to impacted communities along the oil polluted river:

Enbridge accepts full responsibility for all for the costs related to the emergency response and for any property damage as a result of the spill.

Elsewhere Enbridge says,

There is no need for individuals who have suffered damages to sue Enbridge, as we have committed to paying all legitimate damages to everyone who has been affected by the spill.

And they go on to express their commitment,

We want to acknowledge the impact the spill has had on the people of Calhoun County. We understand that the leak has disrupted people’s lives and made a mess of properties, public spaces and waterways.
The community and surrounding areas are our primary focus, and we have committed necessary resources to this effort.

The National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center is committed to helping the communties and wildlife impacted by the Enbridge oil spill.  Help NWF hold dirty energy accountable.  Take action here against dangerous tar sands pipelines.