oil pipelines in the great lakes, threats and solutions-alexander, 2012
DESCRIPTION
Did you know there is a massive 60-year-old oil pipeline running under Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, along the Straits of Mackinac? Did you know that up to 20 million gallons of oil travels through that pipeline a day and the operators have plans to expand the capacity without making significant updates? You might also be surprised to learn that most of the oil traveling through our pipelines comes from the Alberta tar sands. This panel will explain the issues and the regulatory framework governing oil pipelines as well as provide recommendations on ways we can safeguard our lakes from spills.TRANSCRIPT
Sunken Hazard Aging pipeline threatens Great Lakes
Enbridge Energy’sPipeline Network
Lakehead System: 84 spills since 2002
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil
plume reached Lake Michigan
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999: Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002: Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003: Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003, Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
2007, Exeland, WI: 201,000 gallon spill,
$4.5 million damages
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003, Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
2007, Exeland, WI: 201,000 gallon spill,
$4.5 million damages
2007, Clearbrook, MN: Pipeline rupture
kills two workers
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003, Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
2007, Exeland, WI: 201,000 gallon spill,
$4.5 million damages
2007, Clearbrook, MN: Pipeline rupture
kills two workersJuly 2010, Marshall, MI:
Ruptured pipeline spills 1.2 million gallons of Tar Sands
oil into Kalamazoo River
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003, Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
2007, Exeland, WI: 201,000 gallon spill,
$4.5 million damages
2007, Clearbrook, MN: Pipeline rupture
kills two workersJuly 2010, Marshall, MI:
Ruptured pipeline spills 1.2 million gallons of Tar Sands
oil into Kalamazoo River
2010, Chicago: 250,000 gallon oil spill
1990, Brevort, MI:Small spill, oil plume
reached Lake Michigan
1999, Crystal Falls, MI: 226,000 gallons
spilled
2002, Itasca County, MN: 252,000 gallon crude oil spill, $5.6 million damage.
2003, Bay County, MI: 21,000 gallon
crude oil spill
2007, Exeland, WI: 201,000 gallon spill,
$4.5 million damages
2007, Clearbrook, MN: Pipeline rupture
kills two workers
July 2010, Marshall, MI: Ruptured pipeline spills 1.2 million gallons of Tar Sands
oil into Kalamazoo River
2010, Chicago: 250,000 gallon oil spill
2012, near Madison, WI: 42,000 gallon oil spill
Sunken hazard
Line 5 pipeline carries 20 mgd of crude oil and natural gas liquids daily; expansion would increase that to 22 mgd
• Currents in the Straits often exceed 3 feet/second (2 mph)
• Flow volume 50x greater than average flow of the St. Clair River
Looks are deceiving
Three hours after a spill
Six hours after a spill
Twelve hours after a spill
Twenty four hours after a spill