The head of a federal pipeline safety agency said his agency is keeping a close eye on plans for Enbridge’s twin crude oil pipelines that cross the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, Kallanish Energy reports.

A number of pipeline options are under study, but the risk of those two pipelines failing is very low, said Howard Elliott of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

His agency is prepared to act quickly if a problem should emerge, although critics were not convinced. His comments came on Monday in a state hearing in Traverse City, Michigan.

Line 5 carries 23 million gallons of oil and liquids per day from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.

It is one pipeline except under the Straits of Mackinac where there are two pipelines that cross the four-mile-wide straits that connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Enbridge says the 20-inch pipelines are safe, while environmentalists and some Michigan officials said Line 5 poses a risk and should be decommissioned.

Critics point to the fact the pipeline was struck last April by a ship’s anchor. There was no spill. Elliott said Line 5 has thick walls and is operated at well below maximum pressure.

The Mackinac pipelines “are the most inspected segment of pipe in our entire North American network,” said spokesman David Bryson.

Michigan is finalizing a risk assessment of the pipelines. That report is scheduled to be released next month.

Enbridge has been looking at ways to reduce the risk from the oil pipelines that move Canadian crude oil to U.S. refineries in the Midwest. That includes building a new tunnel or trench for the pipelines.

Michigan is expected to decide the next steps for Line 5 by this fall.


Source: Kallanish Energy