Gas Pipeline Repaired

The pipeline that supplies petroleum products to northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan has been repaired.

Officials from West Shore Pipe Line Company say environmental testing is underway.  And, so far – so good: no safety issues have been found.

West Shore Pipe Line Company issued the following statement:

“West Shore Pipe Line Company has completed repairs to a section of its pipeline near Jackson, Wisconsin. After successfully testing the integrity of the system and receiving regulatory approval, company operators safely restarted the pipeline at approximately 8 p.m. EDT, Saturday, July 21, and normal operations have resumed.
Work crews continue to conduct environmental testing – including core soil sampling, outdoor and indoor air quality testing, and well water monitoring – around the location of the release.
All test results to date, including indoor air quality tests of residences in close proximity to the pipeline, indicate that there has been no impact to the air or well water quality in the community as a result of the gasoline release earlier this week. We are not aware of any risk to public health or safety.
Our key focus remains on protecting the safety of the public, our employees and those responding to this incident, as well as minimizing environmental impact.”

The short closure of the pipeline prompted emergency declarations from Wisconsin and Michigan governors.  The “State Of Energy Emergency” declaration means restrictions are relaxed in both states to allow tanker trucks more time on the road to deliver fuel.

Several gas stations central and western Upper Michigan reported limited fuel shortages.

A delay in fuel deliveries was created during the pipeline closure as tankers had to use terminals in Milwaukee and Madison.