Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Pinckney, MI -- On Friday night, it was discovered that the Rover pipeline has been spilling gasoline in an ongoing, days-long discharge into a Pinckney, Michigan wetland.
The spill was not reported by Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind this pipeline as well as the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, but by citizens who smelled gasoline in the water. Local groups like Residents Against the ET Rover Pipeline have understood the threat posed by this pipeline from the beginning, and have taken on the responsibility of protecting their drinking water supply.
Since beginning construction, Rover has already had more than 100 spills along its route in West Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan.
Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign director Kelly Martin issued the following statement in response:
“With this spill, along with the dozens of confirmed spill incidents before it, ETP is making it clear that they cannot be trusted to run their pipeline through our communities. We have always said that it’s never a question of if a pipeline will spill, but when, and Rover has confirmed all our worst fears about the threats dirty oil and gas pipelines pose to our water and our health. Construction on the Rover pipeline must be stopped immediately, as an investigation into Energy Transfer’s total failure to adequately protect our wetlands and communities is conducted.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.