In Michigan, a state of emergency has been announced because of the Michigan oil spill. An oil pipeline leaked and pumped almost 20,000 barrels of oil to the river, beginning on Monday morning. The oil slick is proving difficult to control, though the EPA and Enbridge Energy are working to control it.
The oil spill in Michigan
The pipeline was shut down relatively quickly, but the reason for the leak is not known. The pipeline operator is estimating that there were 800,000 or more gallons of oil dumped into the river. The oil slick is easily moving the 60 miles between the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan. Residents are saying that the wildlife within the area are covered with oil, and some are getting sick from the heavy fumes.
Enbridge Energy promises restitution
Enbridge Energy, which is located in Houston, Texas, has already said it would “do all it can to minimize the spill’s impact on communities.” The 30-inch pipeline sent crude oil from Indiana to Ontario. The dedication of Enbridge to the cleanup has been questioned by numerous politicians. Experts are saying that Enbridge has underestimated the spill by as much as 20 percent. The cleanup will probably cost in the range of a number of hundred million dollars .
Will the EPA help clean up the spill
The governor of Michigan has asked for the EPA to come in to help clean up the Kalamazoo River oil spill. There is a very serious concern, too, about the Kalamazoo River Superfund cleanup site. Gasoline fumes could interact with the PCBs at the cleanup site. This could cause very dangerous toxic fumes. The EPA has not yet committed to helping clean up the Kalamazoo River oil spill, though they will most likely have heavy involvement — financial or otherwise — within the cleanup.
Additional reading
New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/07/29/us/29michigan.html?partner=rss and amp;emc=rss
Blogging for Michigan
bloggingformichigan.com/frontPage.do
