Michigan oil spill increases concerns about tar sand pipelines

Echoing the BP gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, up to a million gallons of oil spilled from a ruptured pipeline into the waterways of southwestern Michigan last week in what the federal government is calling the most destructive oil spill in Midwestern history.

Environmental experts say the impact of this spill is only a preview of greater potential problems to come if proposed new pipelines are built, especially in Canada where extraction of tar sands in Alberta will require extensive pipelines.

Read about the spill in OnEarth, the news Web page from the Natural Resources Defense Council Web page.