GLIN==> Pipeline Spews 845, 000 Gallons of Oil into Michigan Waters, Threatening Great Lakes

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2010

Contact:
Danielle Korpalski, National Wildlife Federation, 313-550-4900, korpalskid at nwf.org
Jordan Lubetkin, National Wildlife Federation, 734-904-1589, Lubetkin at nwf.org

Pipeline Spews 845,000 Gallons of Oil into Michigan Waters, Threatening Great Lakes

National Wildlife Federation: 'Michigan has become another casualty to our country's addiction to oil and dirty fuels.'

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (July 27, 2010)-A major oil spill has dumped a reported 845,000 gallons of oil into a creek that feeds into the Kalamazoo River, sparking a state of emergency in Kalamazoo County and sparking fears will not be able to contain the massive spill before it reaches Lake Michigan.

Commenting on the oil spill, Danielle Korpalski, Midwest regional outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, said:

"We never thought it would happen here. When people throughout Michigan responded to the Gulf oil spill with an outpouring of money, concern, and support for those who live on the Gulf, we never thought we would share that awful feeling of watching a massive oil slick flowing through our waters, coating our wildlife, killing fish, and fouling our coastline. We never thought we'd see evacuations in Michigan because of the fumes from an oil spill. And we never thought we'd see almost a million gallons of oil poised to flow into the Great Lakes.

"But today, that's exactly what we're seeing.

"Michigan has become another casualty to our country's addiction to oil and dirty fuels.

"This massive oil spill is a wake-up call that our nation's energy policies are failing.

"From the Gulf Coast to the Midwest, people are paying a steep price for a national energy policy that is addicted to dirty and dangerous fossil fuels-and the results can be seen in our backyards, in our communities and in our nation's cherished waters and wild places.

"This oil spill is only the latest evidence that the nation needs to move toward cleaner, safer sources of energy. It's time to head in a new direction-one which holds the opportunity to make the energy technologies of the future while creating jobs, strengthening our national security, and improving our environment."

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The National Wildlife Federation is America's conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Jordan Lubetkin
Senior Regional Communications Manager
National Wildlife Federation
Great Lakes Regional Center
Office: 734-887-7109
Cell: 734-904-1589

www.nwf.org/greatlakes
www.healthylakes.org

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