A Houston-based company, Plains LPG Services, LP, has withdrawn its request for a federal permit to transport crude oil through a pair of 98-year-old pipelines under the St. Clair River in southeast Michigan, according to a joint statement issued yesterday by U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and Candice Miller.
“It puts to rest all of these very valid concerns over shipping crude oil through these old, antiquated pipelines,” said Miller.
The Michigan congresswomen said not enough is known about the construction or current condition of the pipelines, and a spill or rupture could be devastating to the economy and the environment – threatening tourism and drinking water for millions.
“The currents are so strong in the river that the spill would quickly spread around the region,” Dingell said.
In March, after requests from Dingell and Miller, the U.S. State Department extended a public comment period about the then-little-known permit application of Plains LPG. The State Department has jurisdiction because the pipelines go between Marysville, Michigan, and Canada.
Dingell and Miller said 700 public comments were submitted after the extension – with most questioning the pipelines’ safety.
Plains LPG did not respond to a request for comment.
