TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Environmental groups say a federal report on a Michigan pipeline spill underscores the danger of developing oil from Canadian tar sands.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that Enbridge Inc. let cracks fester in the pipeline from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, eventually opening a gash in 2010 that released 843,000 gallons into the Kalamazoo River.
Some of the oil came from Canadian tar sands. Environmental groups say that oil is more corrosive than conventional oil, although Enbridge disagrees.
Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council says the investigation raises serious questions about the safety of moving tar sands oil.
Beth Wallace of the National Wildlife Federation says no more tar sands pipelines should be approved until the National Academy of Sciences finishes a study of the issue.
