Pipeline to be built by Enbridge, whose MI pipeline caused massive tar sands spill

Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 6, 2012 — “The 250-mile Nexus Gas Transmission pipeline that Canada-based Enbridge has proposed to build in northern Ohio would put natural gas extracted from Ohio on a fast track for export to Canada, while Ohioans would be left to pay the environmental and public health costs of drilling and fracking in their communities. The path of the pipeline would cut a wide swath through northern Ohio, likely leading to property rights disputes if Enbridge makes claims of “eminent domain” to force property owners to accept the pipeline on their property. And Enbridge’s safety and maintenance practices do not bode well for these unlucky property owners. In its investigation of a massive tar sands oil spill that contaminated miles of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the National Transportation Safety Board cited Enbridge for ‘pervasive organizational failures.’ This pipeline symbolizes industry’s intent to drill and frack every square mile of Ohio until the oil and gas is gone, and then the industry will be gone and Ohioans will be left to pay the price.”  — Alison Auciello, Food and Water Watch Ohio organizer

The Kalamazoo spill released over 843,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. According to the NTSB, the company ignored warning signs for 17 hours. The cost of the spill is at $800 million and mounting. “The NTSB said Enbridge had noticed cracks as early as 2005 but had failed to repair them,” according to a Washington Post report, which also reported that the NTSB blamed “weak federal regulations” by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for the incident.