2015 Northern Michigan Pipeline Workshop
|
On August 27th, approximately 100 community members gathered at North Central Michigan College to spend the day discussing pipelines. The Watershed Council hosted the Michigan Pipeline Workshop to provide the public with accurate information about pipelines in our area. The workshop was also intended to foster open communication by providing the opportunity for dialogue and direct communication between community members, pipeline operators, and federal agencies.
Representatives from Enbridge Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more were on-hand to present detailed information on aspects of pipeline operation, safety, and spill response. In addition, Peter Manning with the Michigan Department of Attorney General provided a keynote presentation on recent recommendations made by the Michigan Petroleum Task Force. The workshop was extremely successful, leaving attendees with an improved understanding of pipeline operations and safety within our community. |
Watch the entire Pipeline Workshop on our YouTube channel.
|
Some key messages that emerged include:
The workshop was just one part of our Northern Michigan Pipeline Education Project, which is funded by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The Pipeline Education Project also includes development of a publication, Understanding Northern Michigan Pipelines, which is a citizen’s guide to pipeline identification, spill prevention, emergency response, and safety. The citizen’s guide is available online, at our office, or by calling 231-347-1181.
- It is ultimately the responsibility of pipeline operators to understand and manage the risks associated with their pipelines. Pipeline operators are also generally responsible for cleanup of any spill, including full costs and environmental remediation.
- How oil behaves in the event of a spill is dependent upon many factors including temperature, suspended sediment, and weathering (changes in the physical and chemical properties of oil due to exposure to the environment).
- All oil can sink under certain conditions. In the event of a release, it is vital to get organized quickly and respond assertively to recover as much oil as quickly as possible.
- According to Enbridge, a realistic worst case rupture in the Straits of Mackinac is calculated to be 4,500 barrels or 189,000 gallons.
- The flow in the Straits of Mackinac changes over approximately a 3-day period and the area that could be impacted in the event of a spill is dependent on the time of release. In general, the impact of a release in Lake Michigan would most likely be to open water, whereas islands and coastlines would be most impacted if a spill flowed into Lake Huron.
- At this time, we do not have the equipment and response capabilities to quickly and adequately respond to an oil spill in Northern Michigan, particularly the Straits of Mackinac.
The workshop was just one part of our Northern Michigan Pipeline Education Project, which is funded by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The Pipeline Education Project also includes development of a publication, Understanding Northern Michigan Pipelines, which is a citizen’s guide to pipeline identification, spill prevention, emergency response, and safety. The citizen’s guide is available online, at our office, or by calling 231-347-1181.
