An advisory group is recommending that Michigan universities analyze the worst-case scenario of an oil pipeline failure in the Straits of Mackinac.
The effort would be led by Michigan Tech University, which would collaborate with experts at other universities. The recommendation was made Monday by the state Pipeline Safety Advisory Board, which includes high-ranking members of Gov. Rick Snyder's administration.
A contractor was fired by the state in June because of a conflict of interest with Enbridge Energy, owner of Line 5.
Line 5 carries nearly 23 million gallons (87 million liters) of light crude oil and liquefied natural gas daily. It runs across Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula before entering the Straits of Mackinac, where it divides into two lines, then continues to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario.
