In this July 29, 2010, file photo, a worker monitors water in Talmadge Creek near the Kalamazoo River as oil from a ruptured pipeline, owned by Enbridge Inc., is attempted to be trapped by booms. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Paul Sancya
July 10, 2012 - 11:11 AM
The chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board says Enbridge Inc. handled a spill from one of its pipelines in Michigan like the "Keystone Kops."
Deborah Hersman says it took more than 17 hours for Enbridge (TSX:ENB) staff to respond to a rupture from Line 6B in southern Michigan nearly two years ago.
She says instead of stopping the flow, Enbridge staff twice pumped more crude into the ruptured pipeline — representing about 81 per cent of the total release.
More than three million litres of crude oil spilled into nearby wetlands, Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River.
Hersman says poor regulatory oversight by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration was also to blame.
She made her remarks before the five-member NTSB panel released conclusions of an investigation into the spill.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012