CURTISS, Wis. (AP) -- An oil spill from an underground pipeline in
Clark County came just two weeks after an environmental group went to
court to block plans for another, larger pipeline along the same route
across Wisconsin.
Officials say just over 50-thousand gallons of crude oil leaked in
a farm field from an underground pipeline at Curtiss, but most of it
has been recovered. Any environmental damage is expected to be only
marginal, thanks to a drainage area where the oil collected and the
fact that the ground is frozen.
In Madison, Midwest Environmental Advocates sued the state
Department of Natural Resources to challenge its decision to allow
Enbridge Energy to install a third crude oil pipeline on the same
route. The lawsuit contends the D-N-R failed to adequately address the
risk of pipeline corrosion and rupture and properly review the effect
the project would have on wetlands and riverways.
But pipeline spokeswoman Denise Hamsher says the Clark County
accident shows the system works ... because a drop in pressure was
quickly detected, the pipeline shut down and the recovery and cleanup
process got under way. She says the pipeline has been repaired and is
operating this evening, but under reduced pressure pending the
investigation into what caused the leak.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated: January 3, 2007, 10:27 pm
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