Study outlines disaster in event of Line 5 rupture at Straits of Mackinac

The worst case scenario involving the twin-pipeline Line 5 crossing at the Straits of Mackinac could release 32,000 to 58,000 barrels of crude oil into the Great Lakes and affect more than 400 miles of shoreline in Michigan Wisconsin and Ontario, according to a draft independent risk analysis released Thursday by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Line 5, which begins in Superior, Wisconsin, carries up to 540,000 barrels a day of light crude oil and natural gas liquids 645 miles through much of the Upper and Lower peninsulas. Besides the straits crossing, which has caused an outpouring of concern from residents and environmental groups, the pipeline crosses the St. Clair River from Marysville to Sarnia...