Enbridge oil spill in Wisconsin makes it the 806th since 1999

It has been just over two years since the Enbridge Tar Sands oil pipeline near Marshall, MI erupted sending thousands of gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

Yesterday, it has been reported that another Enbridge oil pipeline in Wisconsin was shut down after an estimated 1,200 barrels of oil were leaked.

Reuters reported, “The U.S. Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is investigating the cause of the Enbridge crude oil pipeline failure in Wisconsin,” spokesman Damon Hill said in an email on Saturday, adding that an inspector had been sent to the location of the pipeline failure.

Reuters also reported, Just weeks ago, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board delivered a scathing report of Enbridge’s handling of the July 2010 rupture of its Line 6B near Marshall, Michigan, which led to more than 20,000 barrels of crude leaking into the Kalamazoo River.

First, this should be another clear indication that Enbridge cannot be trusted with human or environmental well being, since this is just one of over 800 oil spills and leaks from their pipeline system in recent years, according to a report from the Polaris Institute.

Secondly, even if the pipelines were “safe,” the extraction and burning of oil, particularly the Canadian Tar Sands Oil is devastating to indigenous communities, wildlife, eco-systems and it contributes significantly to global warming, according to the group Tar Sands Watch.

Lastly, the fact that Enbridge is proposing new Tar Sands pipelines to go through Michigan should motivate and mobilize people to prevent that from happening. This was the message of activists who came to Lansing on July 18 to form a human oil spill, drawing attention to the criminal track record of Enbridge.