The Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act would ban the shipping of crude oil on the Great Lakes.

With a safety drill of a controversial pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac underway this week, Michigan’s USA senators this morning announced legislation requiring a comprehensive review of hazardous materials pipelines in the region and banning shipments of crude oil by vessels plying the Great Lakes.

More than 300 people are joining the drill on Thursday, which will simulate a leak from Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac.

In 2010, an Enbridge heavy crude pipeline burst near Marshall, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons into Kalamazoo River tributaries and resulting in one of the largest inland oil spills in USA history.

“After experiencing one of the largest inland oil spills in US history, Michiganders know all too well that a pipeline break can have devastating consequences for our environment and our economy”, said Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which is expected to consider pipeline safety legislation this fall.

A spill in the Great Lakes would be complicated by the lack of research on the effects and cleanup of oil spills in bodies of fresh water, especially under heavy ice cover.

The bill also attempts to address what Stabenow and Peters identify as problem areas in spill response planning – preparing for cold weather conditions and the effectiveness in doing oil clean-up in fresh water.

He says it’s important to make sure something similar doesn’t happen in the Great Lakes.

Shifting currents would spread the oil quickly, contaminating waters, coastline and wildlife throughout lakes ecosystems.

Mandate federal studies on pipeline risks in the Great Lakes, including alternatives to Line 5.

Increase public information and transparency about pipeline risks.

“I can’t even imagine if we had some kind of spill that sent oil into the Great Lakes”, said Stabenow.

■ Calls for adding all areas in the Great Lakes where pipelines cross open water to the federal government’s list of High effect Areas – triggering tighter criteria for new pipeline installations.

Attorney General Bill Schuette also addressed rising concerns over pipelines in July.

Environmentalists and many others, anxious that a spill in the Straits could cause an ecological disaster throughout the Great Lakes region, want the pipeline shut down altogether.

The company, however, said it had no plans to ship heavy crude through those lines.

Participating agencies include the U.S. Coast Guard, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with local law enforcement personnel.