LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A company hired to analyze the worst-case scenario of an oil pipeline failure in the Straits of Mackinac has been fired because of a conflict of interest with Enbridge Energy, the state of Michigan announced Wednesday.

An employee on the project subsequently worked on another project for Enbridge, which owns Line 5 in northern Michigan. Det Norske Veritas, also known as DNV GL, is the contractor.

"Our trust was violated and we now find ourselves without a key piece needed to fully evaluate the financial risks associated with the pipeline that runs through our Great Lakes....