WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership has agreed to a settlement and will spend at least $110 million on measures to prevent spills and improve operations across its pipeline system, as well as pay $62 million in fines, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice announced. The settlement comes after the company allegedly discharged more than 20,000 barrels of oil in Marshall, Michigan and Romeoville, Illinois.
“This agreement puts in place advanced leak detection and monitoring requirements to make sure a disaster like this one doesn’t happen again," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "This comprehensive program – including an independent third party to audit compliance – will protect our waterways and the people who depend on them."
Enbridge has committed to developing a program for inspecting its pipelines and preventing spills, as well as implementing a platform for improved leak detection and control room operations. It will also create a database for its Lakehead Pipeline System and improve its training for emergency situations.
“This settlement will make the delivery of our nation’s energy resources safer and more environmentally responsible,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “It requires Enbridge to take robust measures to improve the maintenance and monitoring of its Lakehead pipeline system, protecting lakes, rivers, land and communities across the upper Midwest, as well as pay a significant penalty."