Flint can’t catch a break. It’s bad enough that the residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the 2014 water crisis. Just two days ago, an oil spill was detected in the Flint River. We don’t even know if the spill started that same day.
Enbridge was my first suspect, but Enbridge is just one of hundreds of companies prioritizing short-term profits over the long-term health of the environments where they operate. Companies like that figure that their costs for an oil spill are annoying but small, and hardly put a dent in their profits.
Investigators may have found the culprit. Ron Fonger for MLive:
The company identified as the likely source of a Flint River chemical spill was cited by the state in April for 13 violations of environmental law, including its storage of liquid industrial by-products in concrete vaults that had no leak detection capability.
Lockhart Chemical, which the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said is the likely source of the spill that started Wednesday, June 15, was directed to correct the violations by May 8, but the company requested a deadline extension, which the agency is still considering.
Lockhart might as well not even have bothered to request a deadline extension: the agency seems to be completely toothless. The company has been in business for decades, and has been ignoring concerns and complaints for almost as long. As Jay Leno might say, “Who could have seen this coming!? Who!!???”
The city of Flint, Genesee County, the state of Michigan and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are among the agencies that have responded to the ongoing spill of several thousand gallons of an oil-based, dark black material with a petroleum smell.
They’ve said the spilled material looks similar to motor oil and have used booms in the water in an effort to absorb the chemical, which has migrated downstream through the Flushing and Montrose areas.
At a news conference Thursday, June 16, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said skimmer boats have taken approximately 1,600 gallons of contaminants from the river, separating the oily discharge from the water.
Cleanup costs are estimated at $1 million. I believe that will turn out to be an underestimate.
And by the way, Enbridge is still fighting Governor Whitmer (D-Michigan) about Line 5, which has already suffered an anchor strike under the Mackinac Straits. The only reason we even know about the anchor strike was because Enbridge sued the ship company.
But gee, we should trust Enbridge to suddenly become safer and more transparent, and to put people ahead of profits? I don’t think so. It would be like Charlie Brown trusting Lucy not to yank the ball yet once again.