Enbridge Tar Sands Oil Spill Disaster in the Kalamazoo River is Worse than Originally Reported
On November 9th, the U.S. EPA updated their webpage to reflect the latest recovery efforts for the Enbridge tar sands oil spill. It is now being reported that well over 1.1 million gallons of tar sands oil has been recovered from the spill site. This is a difference of nearly 300,000 gallons of oil from the 840,000 that Enbridge is reporting as spilled.
Clean-up of the Enbridge tar sands oil spill is scheduled to continue well into 2012, a sign that there is still much work to be done a year after one of the worst oil spills in Midwest history.
The EPA’s new estimate of recovered oil also underscores the severity of the Kalamazoo disaster; the need for more stringent reporting requirements to keep the public informed; and the lack of adequate protections to prevent a future disaster.
This kind of misreporting, on the part of Enbridge, emphasizes the concern that the National Wildlife Federation has over how poorly industry is regulated and held accountable when disasters occur.
The EPA’s estimate continues to call into question whether Enbridge is truly being open with the public.
The epidemic of pipeline accidents that are hurting communities from Michigan to California can only be prevented if Congress passes strong pipeline safety regulations. Until that time, these kinds of disasters will continue and we should not move forward on any new pipeline projects, like the Keystone XL.