There's a ticking time bomb below the Great Lakes, and signs point to it only being a matter of time before a devastating spill.
Two degrading oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac - which connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan - are dangerously old and poorly maintained.
The Mackinac pipelines were built in 1953, and were supposed to last 50 years. 62 years later, they have still never been replaced. Worse still, according to University of Michigan research scientist Dave Schwab "
[There isn't] another place in the Great Lakes where it'd be more devastating to have an oil spill."
A rupture in just one of the pipelines would release, at minimum,
1.5 million gallons of oil into our waterways. Enbridge has decided the pipelines are still safe, despite their age. Of course, Enbridge has also overseen more than 800 oil spills between 1999 and 2010.
In 2013, with little information from Enbridge available, National Wildlife Federation divers took matters into their own hands and examined the pipeline. They found broken braces, a pipeline covered in debris, and sections of completely unsupported pipeline.
We can't leave our families and our environment at this risk from this aging, degrading oil pipeline.
Call on Enbridge today to shut down the Mackinac pipelines until they are properly upgraded or replaced. To Enbridge, Inc. and Enbridge CEO Al Monaco,
The pipelines running through the Straits of Mackinac are dangerously out of date, and clearly poorly maintained. Despite your reluctance to release information to the public about the pipeline's conditions, the conditions discovered by National Wildlife Federation divers clearly shows you aren't doing proper maintenance on the pipeline without public pressure.
The puts the beautiful Greak Lakes, all nearby wildlife, and our families at risk.
[Your comments will be added here]
We cannot stand for your lax safety standards any longer.
Take responsibility for the risk you are putting us all under and shut down the Mackinak pipelines until they are properly upgraded or replaced!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
