Canada wants access to Enbridge records

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CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A Canadian energy regulator confirmed it was seeking documents related to Enbridge's internal review of a 2010 oil spill from a pipeline in Michigan.

Canadian pipeline company Enbridge aims to build the $6 billion Northern Gateway pipeline from oil sands projects in Alberta to ports in British Columbia and delivery to Asian markets.

The country's National Energy Board said, in a letter to Enbridge, that it was seeking evidence related to the company's "internal investigation of the 2010 Michigan pipeline rupture, corrective actions required and the status of those corrective actions."

The 2010 release from the Enbridge-operated Lakehead oil pipeline system in Michigan was the costliest onshore oil spill in U.S. history. U.S. regulators, in their investigation, found that Enbridge knew of line defects prior to the incident.

The NEB, in its letter, said it was looking for more information about the company's inspection procedures and training materials for operators working at its control center in Edmonton.

Provincial leaders in British Columbia and members of the regional aboriginal community said environmental concerns outweigh the potential economic benefit of the pipeline.