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Oil spill update meeting scheduled for this week in Marshall

This week, the federal Environmental Protection Agency plans to hold a public meeting to discuss what’s happening with the Kalamazoo River oil spill.  More than year ago, a ruptured oil pipeline spewed more than 800 thousand gallons of crude oil that eventually made its way into the Kalamazoo River. 

The cleanup has cost Enbridge Energy about a half billion dollars to cleanup and as well as reimburse people living in the spill zone.   The spill has also cost the federal government nearly 30 million dollars.  Enbridge will be picking up the federal government’s costs as well.  Along with the cleanup, Enbridge has also bought more than 120 homes from people in the spill zone as well as paying monetary damages for hundreds of people directly affected by the spill. 

Wednesday’s public meeting is expected to focus on the ongoing need to remove oil that remains submerged in three distinct parts of the Kalamazoo River.  A workforce of 700 is still working on the river every day to clean up what’s left of the July 20-10 spill. 

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.
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