By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News
BATTLE CREEK, MI –
Democratic Congressman Mark Schauer says the company at the center of the massive oil spill in Calhoun County violated federal regulations mandating how such incidents are reported. Earlier this week, the House subcommittee that oversees the nation's pipeline systems announced it's investigating the incident that caused about a million gallons of oil to contaminate the Kalamazoo River. As a member of that subcommittee, Schauer says he'll hold the company accountable for their actions.
"Enbridge Energy Company failed in its ability to detect this leak," he maintains. "And I will be pointing that out. They were late in reporting this incident, and I will be showing the facts about their negligence in doing that. They put the public safety at risk."
Schauer has introduced legislation that would reduce the amount of time oil companies have to report a spill or leak. He says he will also have some hard questions for the U.S. Department of Transportation, which regulates oil pipelines. Congressional hearings are scheduled to begin in September.