Did report help cancel news conference?

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - A news conference set for 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the oil spill into the Kalamazoo River was canceled just as it was about to begin.

A "scheduling conflict" may have caused the cancellation.

24 Hour News 8 obtained a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is a strongly worded Corrective Action Order issued to Enbridge Energy.

On July 15 -- 10 days before the crude oil spill -- the company told the Office of Pipeline Safety in Washington D.C. it wanted to replace the pipe instead of repairing it.

The problem was, the pipe -- which was built in 1969 -- showed signs of corrosion. It was last assessed for corrosion in June 2009 and had earlier been examined in October 2007.

The company knew there was metal loss. Enbridge notified the government it would need more time to replace the pipe.

The Office of Pipeline Safety issued this Corrective Action Order on Wednesday and told Enbridge both the pipeline and oil spill are creating a hazard, and the pipe may not be reopened until the Department of Transportation gives the OK.

Watch the video, at left, to hear what U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer had to say about the report.

----------

Schauer is not content to wait for answers from the NTSB investigation.

He is introducing legislation to clarify language in federal law to define “immediate notification.” The language currently is identified in federal regulations as the "earliest practicable moment."

Schauer’s legislation will direct agencies with pipeline spills to report the incident within one hour, or face a proposed fine of $250,000. The current fine is $100,000.

Schauer also is considering legislation that would increase the fine for a series of related incidents from $1 million to $2.5 million.

On the Net:

Corrective Action Report (pdf)