Enbridge fined $1.8M for missing pipe inspection deadlines

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Enbridge Inc. has agreed to pay a $1.8 million penalty in a deal with the U.S. government, which accused the Canadian oil transport company of missing deadlines for inspecting pipelines to prevent leaks.

The inspections were required under an earlier agreement following a 2010 spill in southwestern Michigan, when a ruptured Enbridge pipeline released at least 843,000 gallons of crude into the Kalamazoo River.

The company agreed to check for flaws in its Lakehead System pipelines, which extend about 2,000 miles across seven states.

But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Enbridge took too long to conduct some of the inspections last year.

Enbridge said Thursday that it disagreed with the government’s reading of the schedule, but accepted the fine under a federal court settlement so it could move ahead.