Michigan officials react to Kalamazoo River spill

WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – After flying over the oil spill in the Kalamazoo River on Tuesday night, Governor Jennifer Granholm said she was not happy with Enbridge, or their response to the spill.

“From my perspective the response has been anemic,” said Granholm.

The governor also said she's not sure she believes the company's estimate of how much oil actually spilled into the river.

Congressman Mark Schauer says he updated President Barack Obama on the spill. The president asked Schauer what the government can do to help, and promised a swift response to requests for aid.

Schauer toured the spill area on Wednesday, checking out the damage and clean-up efforts. He too says he's upset at Enbridge's response.

The congressman showed a time-line of the spill, and the response by Enbridge. Schauer says Calhoun County 911 records show that someone called 911 at 9:45 on Sunday night from the Marshall area to complain of a strong smell of natural gas, but documents show Enbridge didn't notice a problem for another twelve hours.

“It is negligence,” said Schauer. “I'm going to find out exactly what happened. Response has been inadequate. They have to go treat this as the emergency it is. I am very upset, beyond words.”