U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on EPA’s response to the Enbridge Pipeline Oil Spill in the Kalamazoo River. Jackson will be joined by representatives from the Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as well as Michigan state officials and residents impacted by the spill.
On Monday, July 26, a 30-in. pipeline belonging to Enbridge Inc. burst in Marshall, Mich., releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek, a waterway that feeds the Kalamazoo River. The spill site, located between Marshall and Battle Creek, includes marshlands, residential areas, farmland and businesses. In the end, the spill was contained approximately 80 river miles from Lake Michigan. Heavy rains caused the river to overtop existing dams and carried oil 30 miles downstream. EPA has the role of federal on-scene coordinator for this incident.
Source: U.S. EPA