Company responsible for oil spill promises to buy houses

Homeowners whose property values have dropped as a result of the oil spill in the Kalamazoo River can sell them to Enbridge Inc.

The company responsible for the spill said it will purchase homes within 200 feet of either side of the Kalamazoo River from the spill site in Marshall Township downstream 30 miles to just east of Morrow Lake in Comstock Township.

The company says it is making the move to keep out speculators taking advantage of homeowners.

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“This is the Enbridge culture, this is the Enbridge way of doing business,” said Patrick Daniel, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian company, which is responsible for the spill that released over 1 million gallons of crude oil into the river. “We don’t want people to be at a financial disadvantage.”

Also, on a case-by-case basis, the company said it will offer homeowners the appraised value of their homes, even if their homes were not on the market before the spill.

For details on the proposed purchases, read the rest of the story.

Source: Kalamazoo Gazette