New Report, Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Show Michigan Must Stand Up to Big Oil

Report: Michigan ranks in top 10 for oil, gas disasters nationwide

MARSHALL, MI - Saturday, July 31, 2010 – With an oil spill wreaking havoc on the Kalamazoo River and the Gulf region still reeling from the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, a new report released today catalogs serious oil and gas industry spills, fires, leaks and deaths over the past decade – many of which happened right here in Michigan.

“Michigan has become another casualty to our country’s addiction to oil and dirty fuels,” said Danielle Korpalski, Midwest Regional Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation. “Oil disasters can happen in any state, in any town, at any time – we’ve seen that firsthand here in Marshall. It’s clear that we cannot continue to rely on dirty energy. By investing more in clean energy technologies, we can protect our precious natural resources, create jobs and help make sure that disasters like this are a thing of the past.”

The oil spill in the Kalamazoo River is believed to be the worst spill the Midwest has ever seen. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 1 million gallons of oil have spilled into the river.

“Seeing the blackened banks of the river and the swirling oil in the water breaks my heart, and countless other people who love the Kalamazoo River feel the same way,” said Beau Jencks, president and founder of the Marshall Herd Management Co-op, and Michigan pro-staff for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance. “We share this river and surrounding properties with a multitude of nature’s animals. My neighbors and I have spent countless hours on the Kalamazoo River hunting, fishing and enjoying its beauty. We need to ensure that this river is cleaned up, brought back to health, and protected for the wildlife and future generations to enjoy.”

Michigan ranks 9th among states for pipeline accidents, according to the National Wildlife Federation report “Assault on America: A Decade of Petroleum Company Disaster, Pollution, and Profit.” The report did not include the Kalamazoo River spill, which began Sunday, and has released more than 840,000 gallons of crude oil into the river. According to the NWF report, Michigan has had 61 significant pipeline and other oil-related incidents in the past 10 years, resulting in five deaths and 26 injuries.

The report outlines disasters of all types, large and small. In total, there were more than 1,400 incidents offshore between 2001 and 2007 and more than 2,500 onshore pipeline accidents between 2000 and 2009. Texas ranked No. 1 for having the most incidents with 523, Louisiana is second with 223 and California is third with 177. NWF has posted a disaster map in the report and on its Web site showing incidents in nearly every state as well as offshore.

The disasters demonstrate the oil and gas industry’s failure to clean up its safety record and the need to invest in clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, advanced automobiles and more. Such investments will create jobs and boost our economy while helping to break Americans’ addiction to oil.

“Companies that pollute our precious waterways must be held accountable,” said State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek). “Businesses must be compensated, homeowners must be protected, and this river must be made whole and healthy again. Corporations that cause spills like this must pick up the tab, not the taxpayers of Michigan.”

The report offers a breakdown of spills, leaks, fires, explosions, toxic emissions, water pollution, and more that have occurred in the past decade, when the industry claimed it had mended its way after the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989 and the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

The NWF report also examines industry profits, lobbying expenses and political contributions from Big Oil. It offers policy recommendations including passage of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that would reduce demand for fossil fuels and spur investments in alternatives to oil and gas.

The report comes as Congress debates a response to the BP disaster and days after the Senate bowed to industry pressure and halted efforts to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

“Our economy and our pristine natural resources make Michigan a special place to live and work, and they are intrinsically linked,” said Rob Sisson, president of Republicans for Environmental Protection. “Oil disasters – whether 1,000 miles away in the Gulf or right here in the Kalamazoo River – prove that our dependence on oil puts our natural resources, our economy and our way of life at risk. We simply cannot continue with business as usual.”

To download the full report, a full list of disasters and a list of oil disasters by state, go to http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Global-Warming/2010/07-28-10-Oil-Disasters-Report.aspx.