STOCKBRIDGE, Mich., July 23 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge said it was considering the need for constant surveillance of operations in Michigan after protesters blocked its work.
Twelve members of a group of 40 protesters from the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands were arrested Monday in southern Michigan after blocking work associated with Line 6B, part of an Enbridge-operated pipeline system through the state.
Enbridge is working on repairs to the pipeline system, which ruptured in 2010. Line 6B was carrying Canadian crude oil, a type that sinks in water and is more difficult to clean than conventional crude oil. The spill was the costliest onshore incident of its kind.
Enbridge spokesman Jason Manshum told The Lansing State Journal the company as reviewing its security protocol around the pipeline.
"We are looking at around the clock, 24/7 security," he said. "When you think about it, you are talking about people's safety on the site. You are also talking about the integrity of that pipeline."
He said the company lost about six hours of work because of the protest. Four of the protesters had attached themselves to bulldozers in an act of civil disobedience.
Nearly 400 demonstrators took part in a July 14 protest organized by the National Wildlife Federation and 350.org turned against Enbridge pipelines running through the state.
