STOCKBRIDGE, Mich. – Authorities in Michigan say they’ve arrested 12 people who are part of a protest that’s attempting to block Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) from building a replacement oil pipeline across the state into southwestern Ontario.
The Ingham County sheriff’s department said four people who had attached themselves to equipment were arrested for trespassing.
The Lansing State Journal (http://on.lsj.com/17ythUY ) reports the arrests came during a protest about 90 kilometres west of Detroit by the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands — referring to the Alberta oilsands.
In 2010, an Enbridge pipeline running through the state on its way from Indiana to Sarnia, Ont., ruptured, spilling about 20,000 barrels of crude into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Mich.
The incident raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of pipeline spills and contributed to opposition to TransCanada Corp.’s (TSX:TRP) Keystone XL — a high-profile north-south pipeline project between Alberta and Texas.
Last year, Enbridge announced it and its partners would replace Line 6B in stages.
In Canada, there have been protests against Enbridge’s plans to reverse the flow of a line between Sarnia and Montreal in order to move Alberta crude to Montreal. Police removed a group of protesters last month at an Enbridge pumping station in Ontario near Hamilton after the company obtained a court injunction.
Line 9 runs in two sections from Sarnia, Ont., to North Westover, and then from there to Montreal. Enbridge has already received approval from the National Energy Board to reverse oil flow in the Sarnia-North Westover section of the pipeline and is waiting for approval on the Montreal section.
Information from: Lansing State Journal, http://www.lansingstatejournal.com