Kalamazoo river oil spill

In 2015, Michigan set a ten-year goal to rank among the top 10 states for education. The state has poured billions of dollars into its education system, the 9th largest investment of any state. But a decade later, Michigan has not only failed to increase its scores — the state now regularly ranks within the bottom 10 states in the nation.

The massive oil spill in the Kalamazoo River 15 years ago polluted the water and shoreline and left oil-coated wildlife. More than a million gallons of oil was recovered along a more than 35 mile stretch of the river.

The National Wildlife Federation says Michigan's environment department should fully review what damage drilling the tunnel for a new pipeline segment might cause.

At protests in Lansing and other cities, activists were less focused on the events of 14 years ago than on the current fight over the future of Enbridge’s Line 5.

The National Wildlife Federation says Enbridge did not follow procedures to apply for a wildlife habitat designation for corporations. Instead it used the application residents use to certify their backyards.

The National Wildlife Federation verified it gave a portion of Talmadge Creek a "Certified Wildlife Habitat" for restoration from an Enbridge oil spill 13 years ago. It also called on the pipeline company to shut down its 70 year old Line 5 pipeline.

There’s no safe way to move crude oil across an entire continent. So what risks are we willing to take? And who bears the brunt of that risk? Over the next couple days, we'll be looking at times when transporting oil went horribly wrong. Today, we’ll hear about a pipeline that ruptured. Next time, we’ll consider the alternative.

Democratic Senator Gary Peters has introduced legislation to help prevent spills and mandates on methods to clean up spills.

The "Pipeline Safety: Unusually Sensitive Areas for the Great Lakes, Coastal Beaches, and Certain Coastal Waters" rule went into effect last month. Gas and oil industry groups want a chance to redefine what "Unusually Sensitive Areas" means.

Josh Otten sits in a kayak in the Kalamazoo River west of Battle Creek. He’s pulled up to the bank, holding a palm-sized, wriggling…