Feds Warned Company in Mich. Spill About Pipeline

Crews clean up oil, from a ruptured pipeline, owned by Enbridge Inc, near booms where Talmadge Creek...

Crews clean up oil, from a ruptured pipeline, owned by Enbridge Inc, near booms where Talmadge Creek meets the Kalamazoo River in Marshall Township, Mich., July 30, 2010. The Canadian company that owns the pipeline that leaked the oil estimates the spill at 820,000 gallons. The EPA puts the total at more than 1 million gallons. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

(AP)

U.S. regulators earlier this year demanded improvements to the pipeline network that includes a segment that ruptured in southern Michigan, spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River, according to a document released Saturday.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation's regulatory arm, said it had summoned Enbridge Inc. executives in February to discuss problems with the 1,900-mile Lakehead system. Enbridge owns the pipeline that burst, sending oil into Talmadge Creek, which flows into the Kalamazoo River.

The pipeline safety agency informed Enbridge in January that it might have violated safety codes by improperly monitoring corrosion in the pipeline.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 1 million gallons of crude escaped, while the Canadian company puts the total at 820,000 gallons.

"Safety is our No. 1 priority," Bizunesh Scott, chief counsel for the federal agency, said in a written statement. "That's why we repeatedly pushed Enbridge to address the safety and performance of its entire Lakehead Pipeline system."

The agency has cited Enbridge or its affiliates for 30 enforcement actions since 2002.

Enbridge spokeswoman Gina Jordan said company officials have regular meetings with the agency to discuss operations and inspection results, including the one earlier this year.

"As the largest oil pipeline system in the world with close to 15,000 miles of liquids pipelines in the U.S. and Canada, Enbridge works closely with PHMSA and all our regulators to ensure we not only meet, but exceed safety requirements," Jordan said.

Also Saturday, EPA said it had rejected the company's long-range cleanup plan because of "deficiencies in content and technical details." It ordered Enbridge to submit a revised version by Monday.

In a letter to the company, the EPA said the pipeline repair section lacked a sufficient description and schedule of work to be done. It said water and sampling analysis would have to deal with odor complaints in the Marshall area the night of July 25, although Enbridge says it didn't confirm the spill was happening until the next day.