TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a government agency to take a closer look at pipeline company Enbridge’s plans for dealing with a potential oil spill in the waterway connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration previously approved the Canadian company’s spill response plans for areas traversed by Line 5, which carries oil from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. A portion runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.
Environmentalists sued, claiming the plans left too many questions unanswered.
In a ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith instructed the agency to provide more information about its reasons for approving the plans and to prepare an environmental assessment or impact statement.
The pipeline agency declined to comment Monday.
