Congress Weighs Banning Oil Shipments Across Great Lakes

U.S. Senators seek a ban on vessels carrying oil across the Great Lakes and a review of plans to clean up oil spills.

oil tanker

This week the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are practicing how they would respond to a catastrophic oil leak from pipelines that run under the Straits of Mackinac.  

At the same time Michigan’s U.S. Senators are proposing legislation to ban ships from transporting crude oil along the Great Lakes.

The proposal also calls for a review of both the pipeline system in and around the Great Lakes and the procedures in place to respond to an oil spill.

Peters tells WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter the legislation could limit or prevent the potential damage from an oil spill in the Great Lakes.

Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.