June 13, 2012

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) gets a firsthand look of an inspection dig near Cassopolis being undertaken by Enbridge Inc. to ensure the integrity of the company's 6B pipeline, which runs from Griffith, Indiana, to Sarnia, Ontario. The dig is also in preparation of a $1.3-billion construction project proposed by Enbridge to replace over 200 miles of the pipeline, doubling its capacity to half a million barrels a day and improving the line's safety. Replacing segments of the existing pipeline will begin later this summer with approval of the Michigan Public Service Commission and is estimated to cost some $4 million per mile. Ensuring the safety of our nation's 2.5 million miles of pipeline infrastructure has been a top priority for Upton as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Along with Michigan colleague John D. Dingell (D-Dearborn), the former Democratic Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Upton is the author of the bipartisan Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act (H.R. 2937), which ensures vital updates and improvements are made in U.S. pipeline safety. A final agreement on pipeline safety legislation was signed into law by President Obama this past January.