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Allor calls for Line 5 closure

News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Many residents in Northern Michigan, such as the one who lives at this home in Alpena, have been calling for the closure of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which transports oil and natural gas through the Straits of Mackinac. On Friday, state Rep. Sue Allor, R-Wolverine, called for the pipeline to be closed because of new damage that was found.

ALPENA — A recent report of damage to Enbridge Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline was the final straw for state Rep. Sue Allor, who is now calling for the closure of the dual pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac.

Allor has shown patience while studies were conducted and a strategy to address the threat of the pipeline was developed, but news this week that there is additional damage to the pipes is forcing her to take a strong stance to protect and preserve the great lakes, the Wolverine Republican said.

“In my short time serving the people of the 106th House District, there have been three serious issues,” Allor said. “There are gaps in the pipeline’s protective coating, large spans with inadequate support, and now three dents. I tried to be patient and wait for the independent safety study that was promised last year, but that was botched and subsequently never released. Now, we won’t have the information until June, almost a full year later. Enough is enough, my patience has run out.”

Allor thinks back to when she was a commissioner in Cheboygan County in 2014 and observed a mock response drill by Enbridge in Indian River. The drill was a practice of how the Canadian energy company would respond to a rupture in Line 5. After the drill, Allor talked to those involved and the comments they made to her about the drill were less than encouraging.

The drill happened shortly after the 2010 rupture of an Enbridge pipeline in Marshall, “and there were hundreds of people who participated and some people who were directly involved said it was a total fiasco and that it appeared to be a PR stunt,” Allor said.

Allor said she was also disappointed in the results of another disaster response drill a couple of years later at the Straits of Mackinac. She said that, at the time, the U.S. Coast Guard estimated only a small percentage of the oil would be able to be recaptured should Line 5 burst.

“It said, under the very best conditions, only 30 percent would be recoverable,” Allor told The News on Friday. “That was very concerning.”

Since being elected to the state House in 2016, Allor said she toured an Enbridge facility in St. Ignace and asked company officials about a report of missing sections of protective coating around the pipe. Allor said Enbridge officials told her that wasn’t true and that the videos circulating showed a gauze that was used to hold the protective coating in place. Enbridge later admitted there were gaps in the coating, but that they were only the size of a Band-Aid, Allor said, but that also turned out to be inaccurate.

“Each section was about seven or eight inches long,” Allor said. “That is quite a bit larger than a Band-Aid.”

Allor has read several studies of Line 5 and also met with University of Michigan researcher David Schwab, who worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to run a simulation which showed the potential impact of a spill and how far the oil could move. Oil could move 600 to 700 miles and would impact not only Lake Huron, but also Lake Michigan, Allor said.

This week’s news about the large dents was the straw that broke the camel’s back, she said.

“It has just been a series of things that have been rubbing me the wrong way and I couldn’t get answers,” Allor said. “You would talk to one person and then the next would tell you something else that was conflicting.”

Allor said it is believed the dents in Line 5 were caused by anchors hitting the pipe — anchors in the straits are now illegal — but Allor said the state, Enbridge and residents may have been very close to seeing the harm a spill would do.

“I think it was a near miss,” she said. “It was very close to our lakes being impacted and that impacts tourism, recreations and business. It was too close for comfort.”

Allor said Enbridge currently has $800 million worth of liability insurance, covering the entire 650-mile pipeline. But, if there were a break in the straits, estimates show it could cost more than $1 billion to clean up.

Enbridge continues to insist the pipe is still sturdy and only minor work, such as new support structures, is needed. Allor, however, doubts the company’s claim.

“The reports this week of damage to Line 5 are deeply concerning,” she said. “Even more concerning is the fact that Enbridge continues to pump oil through the damaged pipeline. Enbridge officials claim the structural integrity of the line remains intact, but a number of misleading reports issued in the past prove the company can’t be trusted.”

Forcing Enbridge to shut down Line 5 would not be easy, Allor said.

The Legislature, governor, attorney general and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with the federal government, would likely needs to be involved. The federal government, which regulates oil pipelines, would have final say. The state’s current easement deal with Enbridge also provides time for the company to address any issues before the state can terminate the deal.

“They have like 270 days to make the correction or fix,” Allor said. “I think that is too long.”

Allor said the state needs to be more proactive with Enbridge and Line 5 and should not rely on outside sources to determine if the 50-year-old pipe is safe.

“While I appreciate Gov. Snyder’s call to speed up efforts to find a safer alternative to Line 5 that protects our Great Lakes, I feel this situation calls for a stronger and more immediate approach,” Allor said. “Line 5 must be shut down immediately, and remain down until the state can complete a thorough inspection of its integrity. We must understand the full extent of the damage, not only at the point of contact, but also any portion of pipeline that could have been jolted and damaged by the impact before Line 5 is allowed to resume operations.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.

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