MONTGOMERY — Colonial Pipeline has entered into an agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to resolve allegations involving the company's 2016 gasoline pipeline ruptures and releases.
The Attorney General's Office and the ADEM announced their agreement with Colonial saying it focuses on the state's environmental damage due to the company's spills in Shelby County.
“This agreement first and foremost addresses the environmental damage to land and water caused by significant gasoline spills in Shelby County during 2016,” Marshall said in a statement. “I am pleased by the outstanding work of ADEM’s legal team who worked closely with our lawyers to achieve a settlement which I believe is fair, reasonable and benefits the people of Alabama."
According to Marshall's office, Colonial's settlement includes the ADME's supervision of cleanup of petroleum products which seeped into the soil and waters and a $1.3 million civil penalty. According to the agreement, Colonial will also give $1.8 million for projects that benefit the state along with $200,000 given to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that was forced to close the Cahaba River Wildlife Management Area for three months due to the Colonial's pipe releases.
Approximately 7,370 barrels of gasoline were released below ground by Colonial in 2016 due to pipe damage and about 4,444 barrels were also released during a separate pipe incident.