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US Rep. Miller Asks Feds To Investigate Pipeline Dent

Michigan Congresswoman Candace Miller is asking the federal government to investigate a dent in an oil pipeline under the St. Clair River. 

Miller said Wednesday that the line is the same one run by Enbridge that burst in the Kalamazoo River, spilling a million gallons of oil.

"I do not mean to be an alarmist. I think Enbrige is being very forth-coming about the situation. On the otherhand, I don't know what their plans are to rectify this," Miller said.

"Enbridge does not have the best of track records.  They were just fined several million dollars by the federal government becaise of an incident in Minnostoa. And, of course, the situation we had in Marshall, Michigan," she said.

Miller said she received a letter from Enbridge Inc. about the dent, which is about 12 inches long and was discovered  in August of 2009.

Miller said that while Enbridge has given assurances that the St. Clair River issue "is being handled appropriately," she wants Congress to look into it at an already scheduled Sept. 15 committee hearing.

Miller said Enbridge has not come up with a fix for the dent, other than to reduce the pressure of the oil running through it over a period of time.

The oil pipeline runs from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario. A spill of roughly 820,000 to more than 1 million gallons was reported in late July near Marshall.

WWJ has left a message with Enbridge seeking comment.

(Copyright 2010 WWJ Radio.  All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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