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Forest Service Issues Statement Related to 1980 Pipeline Release
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Today Forest Service officials released a statement clarifying information about a 5-barrel oil release which occurred around 1980 along an Enbridge pipeline across Hiawatha National Forest.
“First and foremost, our priority continues to be protection of the resource and public safety and health,” stated Cid Morgan, Forest Supervisor. “We will continue to work with Enbridge to ensure this is achieved.”
In an effort to better understand any potential effects at the site, Enbridge installed several ground water monitoring wells in 2015. In keeping with Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s cleanup criteria requirements for response activity Part 201, the company planned a series of four monitoring events at the wells between fall 2015 and summer 2016. Two of the planned events are complete and preliminary data suggest there is no offsite groundwater contamination. Once all four monitoring events are complete and analyzed, the data will be shared with the State.
“We previously stated that we do not have enough information to evaluate the extent of the spill and its effects at this time,” said Morgan. “I want to clarify that until all monitoring events are complete and we have received the State’s review of the data, it would be premature to make such an evaluation.”
Forest Service officials also want to update information related to notifications from Enbridge to the Forest Service regarding the site.
“Recently, we stated that based on the special use permit file we believed the Forest Service was first made aware of this spill in August 2012,” noted Morgan.
In the meantime, additional details have come to light in the media suggesting that Enbridge may in fact have notified the agency in the 1980s as well as in 2011.
“We are aware of Enbridge’s records indicating we received notification, and we have no reason to doubt them,” Morgan stated. “At this point, we have identified emails from May 2012 confirming communication with Enbridge about the clean-up to occur that time, and we are continuing to research our files for additional notification documents.”
She noted that in July 2011, as part of the company’s ongoing routine maintenance along the pipeline, the Forest Service issued an amendment to the Enbridge Special Use Permit authorizing installation of an emergency flow restriction valve, control building, radio antenna, and chain link fence near the site.
Morgan also acknowledged that agency records show that since Enbridge identified the residual oil in 2011, the company has voluntarily and proactively addressed the situation. Enbridge is currently in compliance with its Forest Service Special Use Permit.
“Resource protection and public well-being will remain our priorities throughout the spill management process,” Morgan reiterated, “and we will continue to work with Enbridge to ensure this is achieved.”
The Forest Service will continue to share information with the public when it becomes available.
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About the U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service is an agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and as such is part of the federal government’s executive branch. The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land and is the largest forestry research organization in the world.