Federal agency repeatedly told Enbridge to improve pipeline network operations, documents show

Feds warned Enbridge to improve pipeline safety

DETROIT — A federal agency says it repeatedly warned the Canadian company at the center of an oil spill in southern Michigan about problems with a pipeline network that includes the segment that ruptured.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said Saturday it raised concerns during a February meeting with executives of Enbridge Inc. The company owns the pipeline that leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

The federal agency’s chief counsel said it pushed Enbridge to improve its performance with the Lakehead pipeline system, which includes the section with the rupture.

Enbridge spokeswoman Gina Jordan says the company meets routinely with regulators and tries to exceed safety requirements.