Environmental groups question federal order on Enbridge pipeline in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Representatives of local environmental groups remain skeptical at the inclusion of Minnesota oil pipelines in a $172 million settlement reached last week by pipeline company Enbridge and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 2010 oil spills in Michigan and Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Justice settlement, which is currently undergoing a 30-day comment period and is subject to change, is the result of litigation for a July 2010 spill that released more than 1 million gallons of oil from the aging Line 6B into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Mich.

Enbridge is ordered to pay $62 million in penalties for the incident and another, smaller spill in Romeoville, Ill., about the same time. The remaining $110 million from the settlement is to go toward additional preventative safety measures on Enbridge pipelines.

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/news/region/4082793-environmental-groups-question-federal-order-enbridge-pipeline-minnesota