Rally planned Sunday near Mackinac Bridge to protest Enbridge's nearby underwater oil pipeline

7/14/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. IGNACE, Mich. — Environmental groups are planning a rally to call attention to an oil pipeline that crosses the Straits of Mackinac, the area linking Lakes Huron and Michigan.

The protest at noon today will be held in St. Ignace near the north end of the Mackinac Bridge.

The pipeline is operated by Enbridge Inc., which also operates the line that ruptured in southwestern Michigan in 2010 and polluted the Kalamazoo River.

Critics say the 60-year-old pipeline at the bottom of the straits is aging and risky. Jim Dulzo of the Michigan Land Use Institute says it should be replaced.

Protesters also fear Enbridge will pump heavy tar sands oil through the line, although the company says it has no plans to do so. It says the line is safe and regularly monitored.