Michigan oil spill caused by 5-foot tear in pipeline

[mike r]

Source: Reuters

Oil that fouled a Michigan river system spewed from a rip less than five feet long in an Enbridge Inc pipeline, a company executive said on Saturday after crews extracted the ruptured piece.

The pipeline, part of Enbridge's system that carries most of Canada's crude oil exports into the United States, ruptured nearly two weeks ago near Marshall, Michigan, and there is still no estimate when it might be restarted.

Looking at the length-wise tear does not provide enough information to determine what caused 800,000 gallons of heavy crude oil to spill into the Kalamazoo River system, said Steve Wuori, president of Enbridge's liquids pipelines division.

Under the watch of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, crews extracted a 50 foot (15 meter) section on Friday and it is being shipped to Washington for analysis, officials said...

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6761EF20100807?type=domesticNews