The straits pipeline has captured the attention of our senators in Washington. Let's see if they remain committed to protecting our waters.
Craig Currier of petoskeynews.com reports
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters each said in recent interviews with the News-Review they are united in protecting the Great Lakes from a catastrophic oil spill, as well as from Asian carp, an invasive fish species that is moving ever closer to Lake Michigan near Chicago.
Speaking at the Mackinac Policy Conference last month, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder urged pipeline protesters to wait for another report to be published, this one from a specially assigned task force made up of top officials from the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State Police and other agencies created last year to study the state’s pipelines. That report is expected to be release sometime this month.
Both Stabenow and Peters voiced support for President Barack Obama’s announcement last month of a permanent director to lead the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The two senators also introduced failed amendments to controversial Keystone XL pipeline legislation earlier this year that would have required federal officials to identify the necessary resources to properly oversee pipelines in the Great Lakes before beginning construction on the Keystone XL pipeline.
Stabenow said she doesn’t know what to expect from the task force’s report, but said “if there are any action items then they need to be done, period.”
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