Enbridge plans new $1.6B pipeline

MARSHALL, Mich. (WOOD) - Enbridge plans to replace the plagued pipeline that decimated the Kalamazoo River -- but the old line isn't going anywhere.

Enbridge was already working to replace 75 miles of the pipeline as part of Phase 1 of a reconstruction project.

Now, the company has announced it plans to replace the entire pipeline as Phase 2 of the project -- from Indiana all the way to the east side of Michigan.

The 210 miles of new pipeline will cost $1.6 billion and could mean about 1,000 jobs.

An Enbridge spokesman said Thursday night the company submitted plans for the new pipeline to the state in April and expects approval.

The replaced pipeline includes the area in Calhoun County that burst two years ago, dumping about 900,000 gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

The old pipe, which was built in 1969, will not be removed. Instead, Enbridge plans to flush out the old line, then fill it with an inert gas and leave it. The company says that will meet federal standards.

In the release, Enbridge said the new pipe will be safer -- using high-quality steel and anti-corrosion coating.

Enbridge also said it will conduct preventative maintenance and inspection on the pipeline, as well as provide 24-hour monitoring.

Whistleblower John Bolenbaugh said he’s skeptical of the new pipeline. Bolenbaugh recently settled a lawsuit with Enbridge contractor SET Environmental Inc. after he says he was fired after going to the EPA about illegal activities during the cleanup of the spill.

"Enbridge officials have said they are going to cap off the old pipe. And I know that they can't get all of that tar, sand, oil out of that pipe and as a result it's going to sit there for generations -- hundreds of years -- and it's going to leak sooner or later," said Bolenbaugh. "Just because they're putting this new pipe in doesn't mean it's a good thing."

Enbridge said work on the new pipeline will start in 2013. The new pipeline will run right next to the old one.

The company said construction will create 1,000 temporary and permanent jobs.

Enbridge spokesman Jason Manshum told 24 Hour News 8 on Thursday night the decision to replace the pipeline has been in the works for quite some time.

He said he didn't know whether the plans were created before or after the 2010 spill, but said they have nothing to do with the spill.

Instead, he said, Enbridge is hoping the new pipe will allow the company to increase the amount of oil pumped through the line to Canada. He said the plan is all about capacity for Enbridge.

Manshum said new technology will make the new pipe safer.