Protesters Want Mackinac Straits Pipeline Shut Down

The National Wildlife Federation said it filed the required “intent to sue” notice Tuesday through certified mail to the agency.

“Congress essentially covered the field by enacting the Oil Pollution Act, and I believe that also under another law called the Pipeline Safety Act that only the federal government has jurisdiction over interstate pipelines, and the federal government has the responsibility”, Kagan says. To date, the federal government has still not created criteria for emergency response plans, argues the National Wildlife Federation.

The law calls for oil and pipeline companies to draft safety plans and have them approved by the Department of Transportation.

Citing federal data, NWF said oil pipelines cross inland bodies of water at 5,110 locations in the United States.

“Enbridge lies, everybody dies!” the group shouted in formation at the foot of the Capitol’s west steps, criticizing Canadian company Enbridge Inc.’s decades-old Line 5, which runs underwater for almost five miles in the straits connecting lakes Michigan and Huron.

Dozens of protesters rallied at the state Capitol on Thursday against an aging pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.

This month marks the 5-year anniversary of the Enbridge pipeline spill in the Kalamazoo River. The report did recommend a ban on transporting tar sands and heavy crude through the Straits’ pipeline.

During a conference call Tuesday, Kagan said he hoped U.S. Department of Transportation officials will respond quickly to the threat of the lawsuit within 60 days. It’s that space where pipelines cross rivers and streams that the National Wildlife Federation leader says isn’t protected.