Enbridge Fined For Three Other Spills
Several legislators are calling for caution before the Enbridge pipeline is re-opened in Marshall, after a string a fines were issued to the company for three other spills throughout the U.S.
The Detroit Free Press says Enbridge was fined $2.4 million for two deaths related to a Minnesota crude oil spill that ignited in 2007. The fine against Enbridge Energy Partners is among the largest the federal agency monitoring pipelines has issued in the last decade, according to a watchdog group.
The agency also assessed two more fines totaling $57,800 on Tuesday against Enbridge, for violations found during inspections in company facilities in Louisiana in 2006 and in Oklahoma last year.
The fact that fines from all three incidents were finalized on the same day, shortly after the 800,000-plus-gallon crude oil spill in Michigan, is a signal to the company, said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust. "I think it reflects concerns about Enbridge companywide," he said.
As for the pipeline that caused the spill in Marshall, Enbridge has re-filed a Pipeline Return to Service Plan as required by the Office of Pipeline Safety. This plan, along with the original plan, details measures in place to ensure that the restart of Line 6B will be completed safely.
Several members of Congress say Enbridge's history of accidents and spills is troublesome.
"This represents a disturbing pattern in the way Enbridge operates and maintains its aging pipeline system," said Rep. Mark Schauer, the Democrat who represents Marshall. "The company's history of violations underscores the need to have all the facts about the Enbridge spill in Marshall. We must insist that all appropriate tests and corrections occur before this pipeline is allowed to re-open."
In order to help prevent future oil spills in Michigan, State Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) proposes to amend the State Constitution to hold oil companies and other businesses accountable by allowing residents to sue for damages from corporate pollution and eliminating taxpayer subsidies that help polluters clean up spills.
Anderson also wants to put a ban on oil drilling in the Great Lakes in the Michigan Constitution. Clean Water Action and Progress Michigan rallied at the Capitol last week, encouraging legislators to put the question of a permanent ban on the ballot before a Sept. 2 deadline.
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