New book by Larry Connors Click here Improve your trading - See how
The settlement between the company and the state Justice Department was announced Friday by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
The forfeiture is the largest involving an environmental matter since Van Hollen took office in January 2007.
It also dwarfs a $200,000 settlement by the agency with other companies in 2003 related to construction of a natural gas pipeline project in Jefferson County.
In the latest case, the Department of Natural Resources asked the Justice Department in May to prosecute Enbridge for more than 100 environmental violations across 14 counties.
The DNR said Enbridge workers illegally cleared or disrupted wooded wetlands and used practices that degraded land, streams and other property.
In addition to the $1.1 million, Enbridge is spending money to make repairs to damaged land.
"While some of the individual violations were likely of limited direct impact, the incidents of violation were numerous and widespread, and resulted in impacts to the streams and wetlands throughout the various watersheds," said Van Hollen in a prepared statement.
Enbridge Energy Partners is based in Houston. It is partially owned by a Canadian concern, Enbridge Inc., which owns a vast network of pipeline assets, primarily in the United States and Canada.
The $2.1 billion pipeline, now completed, runs from Superior to near Delavan. It is part of a massive pipeline project that extends from the oil sands region of Alberta to Chicago.
A separate Enbridge pipeline nearing completion will run from near Delavan southward to northern Illinois, where it connects with another system.
The new pipelines underscore the growing potential of oil refinery production in the Great Lakes region.
Advocates of the projects say they provide the Midwest with greater access to North American oil.
But opponents worry about the danger to land near the pipelines and the potential impact on the Great Lakes, where some refineries are located.
Enbridge did not admit liability in its settlement with the Justice Department, according to a stipulation signed in Dane County Circuit Court.
But Enbridge spokeswoman Denise Hamsher said the company and its contractors have worked to fix problems. About 80 remaining problem areas stretching along the route will be repaired when weather improves in the spring, she said.
Hamsher blamed the troubles on bad weather in the spring and summer of 2007.
Underground pipeline construction is inherently "messy," she said, but she emphasized Enbridge envisions no long-term damage.
Friday's settlement is "important in terms of building more accountability with these kinds of projects," said Erin O'Brien, wetland policy and conservation specialist with the Wisconsin Wetlands Association.
O'Brien believes more pipelines are inevitable in Wisconsin.
Her organization, the River Alliance of Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Advocates had challenged the DNR's review of the project before it started. The groups lost their challenge.
But the state's requirement that Enbridge pay for and use a third-party environmental monitor, reporting directly to the DNR, has worked well, O'Brien said.
It was the third-party monitor, Minneapolis-based Merjent Inc., that uncovered many of the problems, DNR records show.
Friday's settlement was not related to Enbridge's pipeline spills in Rusk and Clark counties in the winter of 2007. Those spills involved an existing pipeline. Enbridge's latest problems were related to construction of a parallel pipeline project.
The Rusk County spill of 175,000 barrels of Canadian crude was one of the largest accidents of its kind in state history, the DNR said at the time.
To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jsonline.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
More News:
Market Updates |
Stock Alerts |
All Trading News |
Stock Index
About TradingMarkets | Contact | Advertise | Careers | Link to Us | Site Map | Help | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Return Policy | Testimonials | Feedback
The Connors Group, Inc. ("Company") is not an investment advisory service, nor a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer and does not purport to tell or suggest which securities or currencies customers should buy or sell for themselves. The analysts and employees or affiliates of Company may hold positions in the stocks, currencies or industries discussed here. You understand and acknowledge that there is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities and/or currencies. The Company, the authors, the publisher, and all affiliates of Company assume no responsibility or liability for your trading and investment results. Factual statements on the Company's website, or in its publications, are made as of the date stated and are subject to change without notice.
It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable or that they will not result in losses. Past results of any individual trader or trading system published by Company are not indicative of future returns by that trader or system, and are not indicative of future returns which be realized by you. In addition, the indicators, strategies, columns, articles and all other features of Company's products (collectively, the "Information") are provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. Examples presented on Company's website are for educational purposes only. Such set-ups are not solicitations of any order to buy or sell. Accordingly, you should not rely solely on the Information in making any investment. Rather, you should use the Information only as a starting point for doing additional independent research in order to allow you to form your own opinion regarding investments. You should always check with your licensed financial advisor and tax advisor to determine the suitability of any investment.
HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN INHERENT LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING AND MAY NOT BE IMPACTED BY BROKERAGE AND OTHER SLIPPAGE FEES. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT ACTUALLY BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER- OR OVER-COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN.
The Connors Group, Inc.
10 Exchange Place, Suite 1800
Jersey City, NJ 07302
© Copyright 2009 The Connors Group, Inc.
