FBI Probes Fires At Enbridge Line 5 Sites In Northern Wisconsin
Federal and state investigators are examining blazes at a drill site and Superior office as scrutiny of Line 5 grows.
Aerial view of bypass and remediation site captured Sept. 13 in Iron County, Wisconsin. Photo Courtesy of Enbridge
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading a probe into a fire that occurred last week at a drilling site for Enbridge’s reroute of its Line 5 oil and gas pipeline, as well as a fire at the company’s office in Superior. Last Thursday, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and the Ashland Fire Department were called to a fire involving an equipment trailer and two boring machines in the Ashland County town of Gingles. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The incident was one of two fires that occurred last week. A separate fire occurred Sept. 14 at the company’s Great Lakes office in Superior, which was in the process of being sold to the private school Superior Learning Academy.
“The FBI, along with our local, state, and federal partners, are investigating the cause of the fires in Superior and Ashland, Wisconsin. We have no further information to provide at this time,” said Caroline Clancy, an FBI public affairs officer. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, is among agencies investigating the incident in Ashland County.
“ATF is specifically working on the origin and cause determination as well as other matters,” said Ashlee Sherrill, an ATF public affairs specialist.
Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner said the company supports everyone’s rights to legally and peacefully express their views about energy use. “These incidents were neither legal nor peaceful,” Kellner said. “Illegal and unsafe acts by criminal saboteurs endanger themselves, the local community, first responders and our workers. We take these incidents very seriously and will seek the prosecution of those individuals involved to the fullest extent of the law.”
Enbridge didn’t provide an estimate of cost of damages from the fires.
The Division of Criminal Investigations and State Fire Marshal’s Office within the Wisconsin Department of Justice are supporting agencies involved in the probe. A DOJ spokesperson referred questions to local authorities. Chief Deputy Dave Dawson with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office said it’s unable to comment as the investigation remains ongoing.
Fires come after gas leak on Enbridge’s Line 5 in Iron County
The fires come weeks after an Aug. 25 gas leak on Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Iron County town of Saxon.
The company has said an unoccupied flatbed truck rolled into an open construction trench and struck the pipeline, releasing 1.3 million gallons of natural gas liquids into the atmosphere. WPR previously reported that federal data shows its the company’s and state’s largest oil and gas pipeline spill in more than 50 years.
Line 5 carries up to 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids daily from Superior to Sarnia, Ontario, serving 10 refineries and propane facilities in the Midwest and Great Lakes region.
Enbridge restored service to Line 5 the weekend of Sept. 12 after constructing a temporary bypass amid objections from state environmental regulators. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources had asked the company to halt work, saying the company lacked state approvals.
“All work performed for construction of the bypass was done consistent with either conditions required in existing permits or our application for an amendment to the stormwater permit,” Kellner said.
A DNR spokesperson said the agency continues to evaluate all options in response to unpermitted construction.
DNR Secretary Karen Hyun told the Natural Resources Board Wednesday that the agency has been in close communication with Enbridge officials, adding the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has allowed DNR staff to access the site.
“The agency feels deeply concerned about what happened at Saxon,” Hyun said. “We are going to do everything we can under our authority to make sure that that site is cleaned up and remediated to our full extent.”
Environmental advocates have called on the state to revoke permits for the Line 5 reroute, and Bad River Tribal Chair Liz Arbuckle has said the tribe issued a disaster declaration over the spill.
A DNR spokesperson didn’t comment on the call to revoke the company’s permits.
Both Enbridge and the agency said the truck and damaged section of the pipeline have now been removed from the site. Kellner said the damaged pipe has been sent for metallurgical analysis, which is in line with a corrective action order issued by PHMSA.
Kellner noted that air monitoring continues to show safe air quality beyond the site of the leak and evacuation area, adding that monitoring wells show no contamination. The company is planning to test, remove and properly dispose of around two-tenths of an acre of soil, which state regulators say is set to begin next week.
A DNR spokesperson said staff witnessed collection of soil from the excavation area and water samples on Sept. 14, and the company is splitting samples with the DNR for independent analysis at separate labs. Samples will be tested for volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are a group of chemicals found in crude oil and gas.
The DNR and an independent contractor will be at the spill site this week, and agency staff will meet daily until excavation is complete.
FBI leads probe into fire at Enbridge drill site on Line 5 reroute in northern Wisconsin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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