Enbridge Fined for Poor Pipeline Inspections After Kalamazoo Oil Spill

"The Kalamazoo disaster was one of the biggest inland oil spills on record, and it raised questions about the safety of Enbridge's tar sands oil pipeline system. "

"The Canadian oil pipeline company responsible for one of the largest inland oil spills on record has agreed to pay a $1.8 million fine for failing to thoroughly inspect its pipelines for weaknesses as required under a 2016 agreement.

Federal officials say Enbridge, Inc., did not carry out timely and thorough inspections on one of its pipeline systems, as it had agreed to do as part of a consent decree reached with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice.

The 2016 settlement stemmed from a massive 2010 oil spill into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. The spill required years and more than a billion dollars to clean up, and it highlighted the hazards of pumping heavy tar sands oil through pipelines."

David Hasemyer reports for InsideClimate News May 3, 2018.