Aging Oil Pipeline Under Great Lakes Should Be Closed, Mich. AG Says

"Enbridge’s Line 5 lies exposed on the floor of the Straits of Mackinac and has been losing chunks of its outer coating. A new report suggests ways to deal with it."

"Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette called for a deadline to close a controversial portion of an oil pipeline that runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes. The pipeline has had more than two dozen leaks over its lifespan, and parts of its outer coating have come off.

The announcement came as the state released a report looking at alternatives for that section of the Enbridge pipeline, called Line 5.

The report's suggestions include drilling a tunnel under the straits for a new line, selecting an alternate route or using rail cars to transport the oil instead. It also left open the possibility that the existing pipeline could continue to operate indefinitely."

Nicholas Kusnetz reports for InsideClimate News June 30, 2017.