It's a record penalty, 3.7 million, that's what a federal agency says Enbridge owes after the 2010 oil spill.
On Monday the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced it found multiple violations of safety regulations and a failure to follow proper procedures in the face of a oil leak.
It's only 24 pages long but the report details two dozen "probable violations" that set the accident in motion and each of those violations carries a recommended fine from $41,000 to 1 million dollars.
The report provides an intimate look at what happened on July 25th, 2010.
According to PHMSA, previous inspections had shown corrosion and cracks on the pipe that failed but they say the company didn't react.
And PHMSA says when the line ruptured the control center received multiple alarms but Enbridge didn't follow its suspected leak or emergency procedures.
The report also shows that after letting the pipeline idle for 10 hours the company restarted it, twice - despite multiple alarms at its control center letting workers know something was wrong.
And instead of following protocol for a suspected leak or emergency, the report says they continued to pump crude oil into the line contaminating 38 miles of the Kalamazoo River and affecting both people and wildlife.
And the documents say it wasn't until 17 hours later that the isolations valves were finally closed when a consumers energy worker discovered oil in Talmadge creek.
Now Enbridge has 30 days to respond to the accusations. @
Jason Manshum, Enbridge Spokesman: "When it comes to that, at this point, its too early really because we just got it we're trying to digest it and through it its hard for me to say really what our next step will be."
But the company say it's committed to figuring out what went wrong.
Manshum: "We are working with both agencies, as I said previously, and collaborating with them to I guess get our findings on this so we can move forward and hopefully prevent something like this from ever happening again."
Now this fine is not a done deal; it's just a proposal .
Enbridge has 30 days to respond but could face up to 3.7 million dollars in penalties, which may seem like a lot until you consider the company estimates cleanup will end up totaling around 700 million.
