Source: Detroit Free Press (MI), May 13, 2015
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
Oil giant Enbridge will pay $75 million through a settlement with the State of Michigan for an 800,000 gallon oil spill in 2010 that impacted thousands of acres, officials announced today.
“This is a huge win for Michigan’s environment,” said Dan Wyant, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director in a news release. “This settlement will mean improved water quality, improved fish and wildlife habitat, and an improved experience for river users in the years to come.”
The July 2010 spill near Marshall affected 38 miles of river and 4,435 acres of adjacent shoreline habitat. The oil was spilled into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River from a pipeline Enbridge owned and operated, according to the news release with Attorney General Bill Shuette.
Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, called it the announcement “a step in the right direction to restore the growth and natural beauty of the Kalamazoo River.”
” I remain ever-committed to working with local, state, and federal partners to ensure something like this does not happen again. In 2011,” Upton said in a statement released today. “I authored a bipartisan pipeline safety bill with former Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell that the president signed into law making smart safety increases in every new pipeline. I will continue to work to advance bipartisan, common sense legislation that aims to protect Michigan’s natural resources while boosting our local economy.”
Under the settlement, Enbridge will pay, according to the news release:
> $30 million as estimated costs for Enbridge to restore or construct 300 acres of wetlands in the watershed for permanent protection.
> $18 million spent by Enbridge to remove Ceresco Dam in Ceresco, Michigan and construct other improvements to the river in the previously impounded area. These changes will help restore the run of the river closer to its natural historical condition.
> $10 million spent to construct and improve recreational and boating access sites for the public at five locations and provide an endowment for perpetual maintenance of the recreational/access sites. These sites include Saylor’s Landing and Ceresco Green in Marshall Township as well as Angler’s Bend, Paddler’s Grove, and Historic Bridge Park in Emmet Township.
> $5 million to be paid to the State by Enbridge for additional enhancement and restoration of the Kalamazoo River, to be paid within 30 days of the entry of the agreement.
> $12 million paid in reimbursement of the State’s costs in conducting and overseeing cleanup work, restoration and mitigation, and attorney’s costs.