INDIAN RIVER, MI (AP)-- Emergency response agencies will participate this week in an exercise simulating a worst-case spill from oil pipelines running beneath the Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan.
The U.S. Coast Guard's 9th District says the drill will be conducted Wednesday in Indian River.
More than 200 participants are expected, representing emergency management departments in Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties; the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Joining them will be representatives of pipeline owner Enbridge Inc. The Calgary, Alberta-based company says the lines have never leaked since they were installed in 1953, but environmental groups say they're a serious hazard to Lakes Michigan and Huron.
Participating agencies spent 18 months planning the exercise, which will test plans for placing boom to contain spilled oil.