Agreement Reached Not To Use Mackinac Pipeline For Heavy Crude Oil

The state and the oil company that has a pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac have reached an agreement to prohibit heavy crude oil through that line.

Dan Wyant of the Department of Environmental Quality says he’s pleased with the extra layer of protection the deal with Enbridge provides to prevent a catastrophe in the Straits.

While the line has never been used to deliver heavy crude, environmental groups have expressed concern about the aging pipeline and the possibility of it being used to move heavy crude.

Enbridge is best known for a 2010 spill that polluted a 35-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.