BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — It has been 15 years since the Kalamazoo River was devastated by one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history. On Saturday, advocates gathered near the site, marking the anniversary to reflect and call for change.

In July 2010, an Enbridge’s Pipeline 6-B ruptured, sending more than a million gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek, near Marshall. It polluted nearly 40 miles of waterway, uprooted ecosystems, and became the costliest inland oil spill in U.S. history.

The river is a place for recreation again, but this weekend’s gathering wasn’t just about looking back and celebrating how far they’ve come. It was to raise alarms over Enbridge’s next project.

“A spill takes a minute but recovery takes years if not decades,” Executive Director of Michigan Climate Action Network Denise Keele said. “That is the quintessential environmental problem because what we can prevent is so much more powerful than what we can clean up.”

Enbridge is planning to build a tunnel for its Line 5 pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, a project they say would make the aging pipeline safer. However, environmentalists say they should “shut down the Line 5 pipeline.”

“We’re not looking to further perpetuate fossil fuel use, which is exactly what this tunnel will do,” said Ericka Bouldin, the Michigan Climate Action Network engagement coordinator who facilitated the event. “We know that there are other solutions outside of that light cleaner energy that we can use.”

Bouldin says Enbridge’s track record speaks for itself, making the project too risky.

“We also hold lots of concerns because we’ve had an oil bill here and they’re responsible for two of the largest inland oil bills in US history, both of which happened in the Midwest,” she said.

Everyone at the event was not in agreement.

“When the tunnel is completed, it will be a complete and total asset to everybody,” said Jesse Jacox, who worked for Enbridge as a community engagement consultant. “Enbridge has invested a ton of money up there to make sure nothing like that happens ever again.”

Enbridge paid more than $1 billion for the cleanup and reached a $75 million settlement with the state. The U.S. government also ordered the company to pay a $61 million penalty for the spill.

In a statement, Enbridge said the 2010 spill transformed how they operate and that the company has since invested $14.5 billion in safety.

“While we greatly regret and accept responsibility for what happened near Marshall, we are extremely proud of what has been done to improve the environment and safety since then,” the company wrote.

The state says the river has largely recovered, but environmental advocates say cleanup should never be the backup plan.

“There’s a whole ecosystem that was changed and that takes sometimes generations to heal,” said Bouldin.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.