On Wednesday, we linked to an article in the Tri-City Times in which Enbridge spokesman Jason Manshum explains the activity in Capac as preparation for integrity digs on Line 5– not, as we wondered after an earlier article in the same paper, preparation for work on phase two of the Line 6B project, for which Enbridge does not yet have MPSC approval. It would surely be presumptuous of Enbridge to be staging construction of a project that has not been approved.
However, there may be reason to be somewhat skeptical about what Manshum has told reporter Maria Brown. Some of our friends, who know far more about pipeline engineering and construction than we do, have pointed out to us that it’s very unlikely the amount of pipe currently sitting in the Capac staging area (see the photo that accompanies the story) is for integrity digs. Those digs rarely require more than a few feet of pipe and typically involve clamping and welding steel sleeves around weak sections of pipe.
There is also reason to wonder about Manshum’s statement that “the company is not required to seek permits for this kind of work.” Construction or maintenance work that could affect wetlands and water resources does require permits from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and perhaps other agencies. We don’t know whether this would apply to the area around Line 5– but still we wonder. Manshum does say that “Enbridge did submit a plan to the state for one particular dig”: perhaps locating this plan would be a way to verify Manshum’s statements. We’re looking into it.
In the absence of any clear evidence on the matter, we have little choice but to take Manshum at his word. But we do so with caution. In the meantime, it might be worth paying careful attention to what happens to that big stack of pipe in Capac. We trust that reporter Maria Brown will be paying attention.
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