Man Faces Charges After Michigan Oil Line Protest
FREDONIA TWP. (WWJ/AP) - A protester is facing charges of trespassing and obstructing police after spending 10 hours inside an oil pipeline under construction in southern Michigan.
Chris Wahmhoff, 35, was booked at the Calhoun County jail after ending the protest Monday at the site is near Marshall in Fredonia Township. He was arraigned Tuesday on the charges that carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Wahmhoff climbed several feet into the 36-inch pipeline, which is under construction in the area of I-69 and Division Drive, as part of a protest.
Protesters seek to halt Enbridge Inc.'s building of a new line, saying it endangers public health. The Calgary, Alberta-based company's pipeline ruptured nearby in 2010, spilling 800,000 gallons of oil into a river.
Enbridge says it makes public safety a priority.
The line runs from Sarnia, Ontario, to Griffith, Ind.
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