Nearly three years after Michigan tar sands spill, pollution continues to threaten residents, wildlife

Nearly three years after the tar sands oil spill on Michigan’s Kalamazoo River, clean up efforts continue and could surpass $1 billion dollars, according to the company responsible for the disaster, Enbridge Energy Partners. This month the EPA ordered Enbridge to do additional dredging along the river, where scientists are still finding oil after more than 800,000 gallons of tar sands oil flowed some 40 miles across wetlands and rivers in July 2010. The cleanup is complicated because the ruptured pipeline spilled diluted bitumen drawn from the tar sands of Canada, a similar mixture would be carried by the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. Enbridge has repeatedly asked the EPA to delay clean up orders, but said Thursday it would comply with dredging and give the EPA a new remediation plan by the end of the month. Local residents report black sediment still showing up near their property and criticize the slow clean-up response. For more, we’re joined by Beth Wallace, outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation in Michigan.