Aging Pipeline Poses Threat to Great Lakes, Report Says

By DAN FROSCH October 18, 2012, 6:27 pm

A report released on Thursday by the National Wildlife Federation questions the safety of a network of oil pipelines operated by Enbridge that run through the Great Lakes region.

The group contends that Enbridge’s pipelines in the area are especially susceptible to spills because of their age and the company’s recent history of accidents — creating a situation the environmental group said could be disastrous for the fragile ecosystems in Lake Michigan.

The report was prompted in part by Enbridge’s recent plans to expand its enormous Lakehead System of pipelines, which carry oil and other products from Canada to the United States. In particular, the environmental group focused on Enbridge’s Line 5, which cuts across the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron, and whose pumping capacity the company wants to increase by 50,000 barrels a day.

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