November wasn’t really Enbridge’s month. And no, we’re not just talking about another poor showing at the Pipeline Safety Trust conference (we’re working on bringing you much more on that!). We’re talking about the news this week that both the MDEQ (go figure!) and the U.S. E.P.A. both gave Enbridge a little business this week.
Following–at long last– that discharge incident from earlier this year– you remember, the one where Enbridge violated 11 different conditions of its permit— the MDEQ is requiring that Enbridge improve its environmental practices (duh!). We can’t say we’re especially impressed with the MDEQ, but at least this is something. Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter Dave Hasemyer, whose work is always first-rate, has the full story over at Inside Climate News. The money quote comes– of course!– from the indefatigable Beth Wallace:
“You shouldn’t have to have someone with a video camera out there discovering these violations in the first place,” Wallace said. “It could have been avoided.”
Wallace said that even with the agreement her group still isn’t confident that Enbridge will carefully monitor its work.
“The company has burned this region and will continue to burn this region,” she said. “The DEQ needs to be more proactive instead of reacting to things when they happen.”
The other bit of bad news for Enbridge is that the E.P.A. has denied its request to extend the December 31st deadline for dredging on the Kalamazoo River. And it’s not just that E.P.A. denied the request: they also called “b.s.” on Enbridge’s reasons for asking. The excellent Lindsey Smith at Michigan Radio has more. And you can read the E.P.A.’s letter here. Here’s the best part:
In particular, U.S. EPA believes that Enbridge has continuously failed to prepare adequate contingency plans for a project of this nature. For example, U.S. EPA acknowledges that failure to obtain a site plan approval for use of the CCP property for a dredge pad was a setback in the timely completion of the work in the Delta. However, Enbridge failed to prepare any contingency plans recognizing the possibility of such an occurrence. Enbridge has known since at least the middle of July 2013 that there was serious opposition to its proposed use of the CCP property. When it became clear in August 2013 that opposition to the site use might delay the project, U.S. EPA directed Enbridge to “conduct a more detailed review of your options in short order.” Although your letter claims that Enbridge “has considered such alternatives,” your logs indicate that Enbridge did not hold initial discussions with the majority of these property owners until long after the final decision to abandon plans for use of the CCP property.
Ouch!
Finally– though this one (unlike the others) really is just an accident– the Free Press is reporting this week that Enbridge crews dropped a tree on a power line over in the Marysville area last Wednesday– evidently ruining more than a few people’s Thanksgiving dinners– although evidently they picked up the tab for about 50 at a restaurant. They’ll also pay for damages.
Enbridge’s contractors make me even more nervous after reading this:
http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20131202/NEWS/312020025/1002/rss
Enbridge will pay for damages
Pipeline company’s tree work downed power lines
Enbridge officials were on hand at the Marysville City Council meeting Monday to discuss an incident that resulted in more than 500 DTE Energy customers without power and dozens of fire calls two days before Thanksgiving.
Crews preparing for the pipeline replacement project dropped a tree on power lines the evening of Nov. 26. The incident blew several transformers, and several residents called 911 because of smoke in their homes. Morton Elementary School was evacuated.
Doug Reichley, Enbridge project manager, said the company provided hotel rooms for about 20 people and Thanksgiving dinner for about 50 at a local restaurant.
The company is working to settle claims and damages. Reichley said so far the company has received about 300 calls.
“Hopefully we can get this taken care of in a matter of a few weeks,” he said.
Councilman Wayne Pyden questioned how the company would work with residents who are on fixed incomes.
Reichley said if it’s reimbursing residents or ordering utilities and shipping it to them, Enbridge will do what is necessary.
Mayor Pro Tem Harry Duke Dunn questioned what would happen for those who aren’t home now or who find damages later.
Reichley said the company will continue to take claims.
Dan Dancer, public affairs construction liaison for Enbridge, also spoke at the meeting. He thanked the city staff for its efforts.
“We will work hard to live up to the example your city workers set to make all your residents whole,” Dancer said.
There is no such thing as ‘just an accident’ when it comes to Enbridge. This is a company entrusted with constructing a dangerous petroleum pipeline through backyards, farms, and neighborhoods. A company of this sort simply cannot make mistakes or have accidents. They will make billions while endangering people whose homes are being all but destroyed for the sake of the Enbridge billions.
Enbridge must be held to a higher standard because of the nature of their work and where they are doing it. If they can’t be trusted to do something as simple as tree work, how can they be trusted to build and manage a petroleum pipeline?
Talking about ruining Thanksgiving…. for weeks now, we have been living through outrageous noise all day and all night, relentlessly, as Enbridge works on our neighbor’s land to connect the new pipeline. Recently, WNDU news broadcast Enbirdge spokesman Tom Hodges stating that while they are now working all night in some areas, they are paying to put up homeowners in hotels. We have been suffering all night, including over Thanksgiving, and no one has offered us or other neighbors who are suffering any sort of compensation, hotel costs, etc. There’s nothing like being woken up 3 times every night and hardly being able to hear oneself think because of the persistent noise, often accompanied by massive vibrations.
The same Tom Hodges recently sent out a statement to homeowners stating that the new pipeline will “provide all those along the pipeline with the peace of mind of having a brand new pipeline, engineered and built to current specifications or better. And, the replacement pipeline will reduce the level of future maintenance activities otherwise required to maintain safe operations.” It is disturbing that Enbridge again puts words in homeowner’s mouths. They state that we will have peace of mind when their recent activities have done exactly the opposite. In the past two years, I have learned that we have a dangerous petroleum pipeline run by a company that (1) has lied to us in writing and then laughed about it, (2) is constantly having accidents and making mistakes, such as cutting down a large swath of our trees ‘by mistake’ and so many other accidents, (3) has dragged their feet in honoring a legally binding agreement with us, and (4) has subjected us to horrendous all night noise for weeks without any attempt to make any sort of amends… and then lied to the public with a statement on the news that they were putting people up in hotels when no such offer has been made.
Moreover, they are leaving behind hazardous waste in the form of a highly contaminated old pipeline that will leak someday, contaminating ground water and serving as a conduit for rapid transport of contaminated water. I have no confidence that their recent activities will ‘reduce the level of future maintenance activities’ because they are going to have to remove the old pipeline or deal with contamination from it, and that will be even worse than if they had removed it (which is what we have argued for repeatedly). Moreover, we all know that this is just the start… there are more pipelines to come now that they know they can roll over Michigan with absolute ease. My
criticisms of Enbridge are brought about by the company’s actions and words. I would be more than happy to sing their praises if they moved rapidly to honor their legal commitments to us, paid for their illegal removal of our trees (which they have acknowledged), properly compensated us for all of the noise and mess, and spoken truthfully to us and to the media.
Yes we need pipelines. But, we don’t need pipelines owned and run by a company that is repeatedly dishonest, constantly making ‘mistakes’ that no reputable pipeline company should be making, and that treats the local homeowners frankly like trash.
Finally, the local sheriff’s office told me that they cannot enforce state noise ordinances against Enbridge for the all-night noise fest because “Enbridge paid a lot of money to do this”. Does anyone know exactly whom they have paid a lot of money to so that they can flaunt ordinances??? I’ve been trying to get an answer to this. I’ve paid a lot of money for my home and for taxes…. who did Enbridge pay off to keep the police from enforcing ordinances so that my family can have something like a normal life? Anyone know????
Check.with their construction mitigation manual see if they are following it if not call them out on it . We know you can’t stop them but you can cost them money ,God knows they cost all of us landowners!
Safety culture & training at Enbridge continue to be a concern, as shown by the recent power line hit. Training was also at the heart of an accident that killed 2 working on an Enbridge pipeline in 2007:
http://www.chron.com/business/article/Enbridge-fined-in-fatal-Minnesota-accident-1705992.php
Enbridge fined in fatal Minnesota accident
Bloomberg News | August 18, 2010
Enbridge Energy Partners has been fined more than $2.4 million for violations of federal pipeline safety regulations that led to the deaths of two workers, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.
The fines are related to a Nov. 28, 2007, incident in which two Enbridge employees were killed after repairs to a company pipeline on the Lake head system in Clearbrook, Minn., caused leaking oil to ignite.
Enbridge failed to conduct maintenance and repairs safely, clear the work area from possible sources of ignition, and hire properly trained and qualified workers, regulators found during a yearlong probe.
Enbridge Energy Partners, based in Houston, operates most of Enbridge Inc.’s U.S. pipelines. The company couldn’t be reached for comment.