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On Monday, April 2, 2918, an unknown quantity of dielectric fluid leaked from an electric transmission cable in the waters of the Straits of Mackinac. The owner of the cable, American Transmission Company, alerted the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday evening. Oil & Water Don't Mix issued the following response.

Sean McBrearty, coordinator of the Oil & Water Don't Mix Campaign said, “Any spill of hazardous materials in the Great Lakes is unacceptable and points to the need for Michigan to insist on removing these threats from all Michigan waterways. Those responsible for this latest hazardous spill claim it results from ‘extraordinary circumstances.’

"What we know, however, is that all hazardous spills in the Straits of Mackinac are extraordinary because they can’t be prevented, often go undetected and can’t be cleaned up. That’s true for more than 500 miles of Enbridge’s Line 5 and it’s true of all hazardous materials that are a constant threat to our Great Lakes. We need government leaders who stand up to protect our waters from spills like this by removing the threat instead of responding after the damage has been done.

"We need government leaders who stand up to protect our waters from spills like this by removing the threat instead of responding after the damage has been done." - Sean McBrearty, Coordinator, Oil & Water Don't Mix campaign

"This coolant leak was a test, and obviously, if we are incapable of cleaning up a few hundred gallons of dielectric fluid, we are hopelessly unprepared for the millions of gallons that would spill should Line 5 rupture.”