Mich. asks Kerry to deny oil transport under river connecting Great Lakes

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette wrote that Plains LPG Services wants to start sending crude oil through a 98-year-old pipeline beneath the St. Clair River. The river runs between eastern Michigan and western Ontario and is part of the system connecting Lake Huron to Lake Erie.

Schuette wrote that the condition of the pipeline is unknown and it might not be safe.

“The condition, integrity and suitability of the pipelines for transporting crude oil is unknown and unverified,” he wrote.

The pipeline was constructed in 1918 and little is known about the method in which it was done, Schuette wrote. It’s not known whether that pipeline would be suitable for transporting oil.

The pipeline is being used to transport natural gas liquids or light liquid hydrocarbons.

Plains LPG Services wants to amend its May 2014 permit to send crude oil, a heavier substance, through the pipeline. Schuette said that would be much riskier than current use.

Schuette wrote he is concerned the aging pipeline could release crude oil into the river, which then would flow downstream into Lake Erie and the Great Lakes system.

He added that there is no reason to transport the oil by pipeline when there are other methods of getting it across the border.

“The Great Lakes literally define our state and are the lifeblood of our environment and economy, ” Schuette wrote. “Here in Michigan, we are addressing potential risks to the Great Lakes from a variety of sources, including petroleum transportation.”

Schuette urged Kerry and Chris Davy, deputy director of the Office of Energy Diplomacy, to reject the application because it would not serve the national interest.

He noted that Plains said in a press release that it doesn’t intend to send crude oil through the pipeline, which “effectively precludes” the national interest from being at stake, Schuette wrote.

Plains did not immediately respond to a request for comment.