Michigan Task Force Begins Oil Pipeline Review

LANSING  (AP) - State officials have begun a safety review of Michigan's network of oil pipelines.

The Michigan Petroleum Pipeline Task Force held its first meeting Thursday. Officials say the initial focus is on Enbridge Energy Partners LP's Line 5. It includes two lines that run beneath the Straits of Mackinac separating the state's two peninsulas where Lakes Huron and Michigan converge.

The company has provided a lengthy response to questions about Line 5 from the Department of Environmental Quality and the state attorney general's office. The task force is reviewing the material.

DEQ spokesman Brad Wurfel says the lines are reliable and have never leaked since their installation in 1953.

The task force also launched a public information website about the pipelines with contact information for public comment at this link.

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