The Missouri Coalition for the Environment is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over plans by the Canadian company Enbridge to build an oil pipeline through four Midwestern states. The pipeline would carry tar sands oil through parts of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma:
Great Rivers Environmental Law Center attorney Henry Robertson is representing the Coalition in its suit against the Corps. He says the group is concerned about the pipeline’s potential risks to wildlife and the environment.
“We were going to look for ways to stop the pipeline.”
Robertson says unlike the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, the Enbridge project has largely flown through under the radar – even though both pipelines would carry tar sands oil from Canada.
“There have been some serious spills and leaks from tar sands pipelines, and it’s much more difficult to clean up and deal with than regular oil.”
Robertson says producing tar sands oil also contributes more to climate change than producing conventional crude.
In response to a request for comment, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it does not discuss matters under litigation.