Oil Spill in Calhoun County a Reminder of Our Need to Change

In a reminder that oil spills are not something that only occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, over 800,000 gallons of oil were recently spilled into a creek in Marshall, Michigan, which leads to the Kalamazoo River. The pipeline transferred over 8 million gallons of oil each day from Griffith, Indiana to Sanaria, Ontario. The Emmett County Department of Public Safety has issued a warning against swimming or fishing in the river. The spill is yet another reminder of the environmental dangers of oil and the need to transition to an economy less reliant on fossil fuels.

The company responsible for the pipeline is Enbridge Energy Technologies, based in Houston, Texas. Like BP, the company will be in charge of the attempted cleanup of the damage from the spill. The company has so far shut down the pipeline and dispatched a cleanup crew to the scene. Enbridge Technologies has also issued a statement saying that the spill will be given a “top priority” and adding that they "will do our utmost to minimize the impact on the environment, neighboring landowners and communities.”

Congressman Mark Schauer has issued his own statement expressing concern over the oil spill and committing to hold the company accountable, bring the proper resources to bear to “contain and minimize” the environmental impact, and investigate the cause of the spill.

WOOD TV has a photo gallery of the spill.