A worker tends to an oil boom on the Kalamazoo River near Battle Creek, Michigan on July 30, 2010. A 30-inch-diameter pipeline ruptured sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning, sending between 800,000 and 1 million gallons of oil into nearby Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. UPI/Brian Kersey |
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge is ordered to repair any anomalies on Line 6B of its Lakehead system as soon as possible, a U.S. regulator said.
Line 6B burst in late July, spilling around 20,000 barrels of oil into the waters of southern Michigan. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced it approved a gradual restart plan for the pipeline, provided the company addresses a long list of concerns.
The PHMSA ordered Enbridge to repair "every portion" of Line 6B known to have so-called anomalies within 180 days.
"PHMSA will hold Enbridge to strict compliance with all terms and will vigorously pursue enforcement action if Enbridge fails to meet any of the terms," the agency said.
Within two weeks, the agency added, Enbridge must provide two safety assessments of the pipeline section, addressing any further anomalies as soon as possible.
A section of an oil pipeline running across the St. Clair River needs to be replaced within the year of a full restart of Line 6B, the monitoring agency added.
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., whose district lies along the St. Clair River, raised concerns about a 12-inch dent in a section of the Lakehead system pipeline that runs under the river.
"We will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure that Enbridge lives up to its promises, they act upon every provision that is required under the restart plan and that they do so safely and on time," said U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari.
