Here’s an interesting short piece from an industry safety website. The key paragraph is this:
Critics contend the project is an attempt to use the concerns from the 2010 spill to pressure the public service commission to allow the company to build a new, higher capacity line quickly and without the same level of federal oversight that would occur if the entire line, including a section across the St. Clair River into Ontario, ended up replaced in one project.
Tomorrow night (Monday, July 30), The Brandon Township Board of Trustees will once again take up the issue of Enbridge’s activity in their township. Interested citizens are welcome to attend. The meeting time and location are available here.
This one is in Wisconsin. Coverage from the Chicago Tribune.
An extensive article, on the replacement project, fair and more thorough than most that have been written, by Monica Drake in The Oakland Press (we are quoted in it).
We’re on vacation in Minnesota this week. And as it turns out, our drive takes us right through Superior, Wisconsin. So we stopped by the Enbridge offices to have a little chat with them about their treatment of landowners. Details of our encounter coming soon.
The National Transportation Safety Board won’t release its full report on the Enbridge Kalamzoo River spill for a few weeks– we’ll link to it when they do. In the meantime, a synopsis of the report and its findings (including this post’s headline) is available at the NTSB website. Please read it.
Earlier this month, the Brandon Township trustees hosted Enbridge representatives at its board meeting (see story below). The Enbridge project will be back on the agenda at the board’s July 30th meeting. This is a chance for Brandon Township residents to gain more information and to voice their own concerns to the township board on the project’s potential affects on local roads and the environment. Please consider attending this meeting! For more information, time, and location, visit the Brandon Township website.
From the Detroit Free Press.
Here is a fine account of the Brandon Township board meeting to discuss the Enbridge project. I don’t know what’s happening in other counties, but it seems that Brandon Township, thanks largely to their excellent supervisor Kathy Thurman, is the only municipality in Oakland County taking any serious action to protect landowners and the environment in this matter.
A Fenton area landowner finds himself in a situation that is likely quite similar to that faced by many others:
The new pipe line is forcing me to have a new septic field put in place. Because of the new pipeline the field can no longer be placed in the area it’s currently in. Originally they wanted to put a 4 ft high 900 sq raised field in my back yard. This location would eliminate any chance of putting an out building on my property. I was not happy with this situation and started to deal with it yesterday. I spoke to Bo at the county and he decided the best location would be my front yard because it has a perfect natural slope. The slope would eliminate the need for a raised field and would not change the structure of my property. They stated it would look the same as it does now. My well is located in the same area and they stated it will be moved. I am concerned over that because my well is actually so good (tasting). Bo from the county has been excellent and very straight forward with Enbridge. He doesnt seem to be intimidated by their power.
Here is a couple things I am going to ask for:
If new well is dug I want a new well pump put in place (with warranty)
I want a warranty put in place on the new field and the pump that is required to get the sewage to the field
I want my septic tanks pumpedI am looking for suggestions. They are coming out tomorrow to look at the front and dig some soil samples. I don’t know much about septic systems or anything I need to be aware of. My septic tanks and treatment sand area are in the back of my house and the field will now be placed in the front. This is approx 30 to 40 yards away. Will this be an issue? Please pass this information on to the group and hopefully someone with knowledge of this could help me out. Thank you.
I am no septic expert. I only suggested that he hire a septic expert for advice and an estimate and then ask Enbridge for compensation that will pay for the work. In my opinion, it is better to be able to hire your own contractor than to have Enbridge do it. What do others think?
According to our ROW agent, construction is set to begin July 23rd at US 23 and heading west. Then, in mid to late August, they’ll begin moving east from US 23. Restoration work won’t begin until the spring.
Let’s share: where are you in your negotiations with Enbridge? Have they gone smoothly?What have been the most difficult challenges you’ve faced? What have been the sticking points? Do you think you’ve been treated fairly by Enbridge and its agents? Are you happy? What have you learned from the experience? Please comment below!
A sensible editorial from the Detroit Free Press on the need for state regulatory oversight of Enbridge’s activities in the state.
Is Enbridge going to do work on your property? If so, you really should take some time to read their Environmental Impact Report. Are you concerned about how they clear trees and shrubs? Do you want them burning on your property? Discharging test water that they run through the pipe on to your land?
If you haven’t seen the story yet, the NTSB likens Enbridge to the Keystone Cops.