Mich. governor blasts oil-cleanup efforts

July 29, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

BATTLE CREEK, Mich.

Michigan’s governor on Wednesday sharply criticized attempts to contain a large oil spill making its way down the Kalamazoo River after the company responsible for the spill said it had redoubled its efforts to clean up the mess.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm called on the federal government for more help, saying resources being marshaled by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Enbridge Inc. are “wholly inadequate.” Enbridge has been working to clean up the spill since it said its pipeline in southern Michigan on Monday leaked more than 800,000 gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek, which runs into the Kalamazoo River.

Earlier Wednesday, Enbridge had said it was doubling the number of workers sent to help contain and clean the large spill. The EPA also was bringing in additional contractors, saying it’s working to ensure a swift and effective cleanup of the spill that it believe may be more than 1 million gallons.

“EPA and other federal and state agencies mobilized immediately in response to this spill and have taken a series of steps to minimize the damage this spill does to the river and surrounding communities,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said.

The company did not immediately respond to Granholm’s statements.

Granholm warned of a “tragedy of historic proportions” if the oil reaches Lake Michigan — still roughly 80 miles away from where oil has been seen — as a state official who conducted a flyover reported oil had spread past a key point in the river upstream of Kalamazoo and was entering a PCB-laden Superfund site.

“The new resources that have been provided so far are wholly inadequate,” Granholm told reporters on an evening conference call.

Shortly after Granholm spoke to the media, a news conference that was to include the company, EPA and other officials was postponed because of what Enbridge spokesman Kevin O’Connor called scheduling conflicts. Another briefing has not yet been scheduled.