Here are some numbers to ponder this morning.

Hundreds of miles of Great Lakes shoreline.

$1.8 billion in clean-up costs.

2.4 million gallons of spilled oil.

Those are some of the staggering numbers found in a 400-page draft report released by Michigan officials Thursday. The report, prepared by a team of scientists from Michigan universities, was requested by the state to analyze the impacts of a potential oil spill from Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac.

The findings, albeit worst-case scenarios, leave readers with a grim perspective should an accident occur.

And the newest study drew the strongest statement yet from an official in Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration as to what needs done with the Enbridge pipeline.

“Line 5 cannot remain in the Straits in its current form,” said Keith Creagh, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “This report highlights the need to continue developing a decommissioning strategy that protects the Great Lakes while at the same time maintaining the critical infrastructure between Michigan’s peninsulas that makes us one state.”

Creagh’s statement is similar to our public position that we began advocating months ago.

The pipeline is a ticking time bomb that lies underwater.

It’s time to stop talking and begin acting to remove it before it is too late.