LANSING – Michigan is extending the deadline for requests for information and proposals as a result of requests from prospective contractors interested in performing an independent risk analysis and independent alternatives analysis related to the pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac, known as Enbridge Line 5.
The new deadline will now be April 18 (up one week from the original April 11 date) to allow contractors additional time to submit their proposals, a statement from the Pipeline Safety Advisory Board indicated.
The risk analysis will focus on Enbridge’s potential liability for a worst case scenario spill from the Straits pipelines and its responsibility to maintain adequate financial assurance should such a spill take place. The alternatives analysis will comprehensively compare alternatives to the existing pipelines to help inform decisions about their future.
A report by the University of Michigan said more than 700 miles of shoreline in lakes Huron and Michigan are potentially vulnerable to oil spills if a 63-year old pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac ruptures.
Enbridge Line 5 pipeline moves up to 20 million gallons of light crude oil, light synthetic crude oil and natural gas liquids across the straits each day. Line 5 splits into two 20-inch-diameter pipes to cross the Straits of Mackinac, just west of the Mackinac Bridge. The area around the straits is considered ecologically sensitive and is a major tourist draw. Enbridge has been reluctant to share all of its inspection data with the state of Michigan, so far.
To read that story, click on https://mitechnews.com/featured/4011/
The RFIs and instructions regarding submittal of questions and responses are available at michigan.gov/pipelinesafetyboard
