Oil spill triggered many investigations, none closed

When the Enbridge Energy Partners pipeline known as Lakehead Pipeline 6B ruptured last July 25, it not only spewed a million gallons of heavy tar sands crude oil into the Kalamazoo river, it open the flood gates to a series of criminal and civil investigations.

Enbridge is currently facing a criminal and civil investigation from the Environmental Protection Agency. That investigation is looking specifically at the oil spill. In addition to the EPA investigations, the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is also engaged in an investigation, as is the National Transportation Safety Board. Those investigations have also not been concluded; the NTSB report is due later this year or early next.

Additionally, Enbridge and contractors were subjected increased scrutiny by state Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials after Michigan Messenger published photographs showing undocumented workers consuming food while covered with oil.

On top of all that, Hallmark Industrial, a one time subcontractor to main Enbridge contractor Garner Environmental, continues to be investigated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security. Khaalid Walls, spokesperson for ICE in Michigan, declined to comment on the status of those investigations.

That investigation began after a Messenger investigation last year uncovered undocumented workers toiling on the river for 12 to 14 hours a day. Those workers were employed by Hallmark Industrial, which was contracted by Garner Environmental, which in turn had been contracted by Enbridge to oversee the cleanup in Calhoun County. The day Messenger’s investigation went live, Hallmark employees were given a safety training, then late that evening, the company was fired from the spill cleanup.

In response, the undocumented workers were loaded into buses and sent back to Texas. Two days later, the Chambers County Sheriff announced the department had detained undocumented workers on buses in Whinnie, Texas. Those undocumented workers were employees of Hallmark Industrial and were expecting to meet the company’s owner, Phillip Hallmark. He was not present at the time.

Officials detained 59 workers, and ultimately determined that 42 of the workers were undocumented. They were detained in Houston ICE facilities as a result.