LANSING, MI (WTVB) – Thursday is the ninth anniversary of the Kalamazoo River oil spill near Marshall, which one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history.
Nearly 800,000 gallons of oil flowed into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River after an Enbridge Energy pipeline erupted. The July 2010 spill affected 38 miles of the Kalamazoo River along with nearly 4,400 acres of nearby shoreline.
Enbridge and its affiliates agreed to pay $75 million to clean up the spill.
To mark the anniversary, Progress Michigan will be teaming with Kalamazoo-area residents at the state Capitol on Thursday to protest against Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinaw.
It looks like Enbridge and the State of Michigan will be involved in a lengthy legal battle. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a motion to dismiss an Enbridge lawsuit that sought to enforce an agreement made with former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. That agreement would have allowed Enbridge to build a tunnel to house the underwater pipelines and continue to operate Line 5.
Enbridge Communications Strategist Ryan Duffy says the Straits tunnel is still the best way to protect the community and the Great Lakes.
(reporting from Jeana Gondek/Jim Measel)
