Michigan’s attorney general is suing an Escanaba-based shipping company that he claims is responsible for a mineral oil leak in the Straits of Mackinac earlier this month.
State Attorney General Bill Schuette says it was one of Van Enkevort Tug and Barge’s ships that damaged a pair of underwater electrical lines at the beginning of April. He says the ship caused the damage by dragging its anchor across the lakebed.
Around 600 gallons of fluid have leaked from the electrical lines, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is still investigating the incident and has not said what caused the leak.
MLive reports the company says it is working with the Coast Guard during its investigation and has not admitted responsibility for the damage.
Schuette claims the same ship’s anchor also damaged Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline, which is located near the electrical lines. Enbridge has reported that it found three dents in Line 5.