ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) – Newly released documents say a worse-case scenario involving a hypothetical rupture of an oil pipeline beneath the scenic Straits of Mackinac could cost $450 million to $1 billion to clean up. MLive.com reports the estimate to clean up 8,500 barrels of oil is included in documents posted online Friday by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office. The documents from Enbridge are expected to help an independent risk analysis of the pipeline. Canadian company Enbridge’s Line 5 transports 23 million gallons of crude oil and liquid natural gas daily through the Upper Peninsula and ends in Sarnia, Ontario. It divides into two lines beneath the straits, the waterway where Lakes Huron and Michigan converge. Enbridge says Line 5 is safe and monitored constantly.
