The spacing problems were caused by sediment erosion that created open areas beneath the pipes, Duffy said. But the state officials said the company had found other spacing issues during its last underwater inspection in 2014. Environmental groups have pushed to shut down the underwater pipes, saying a rupture could do catastrophic damage to the Great Lakes. Michigan officials said Wednesday that Enbridge Energy Partners had violated a legal requirement by having too much unsupported space along its twin oil pipelines running beneath the environmentally sensitive waterway that links Lakes Michigan and Huron. The officials instructed Enbridge to explain why its model had failed and come up with a better plan within two weeks.

Source: ABC News August 04, 2016 00:43 UTC