Two regional pipeline companies have agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle claims under the Clean Water Act for oil spills in Montana and South Dakota.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Belle Fourche Pipeline Company and Bridger Pipeline LLC – affiliated companies that own and operate a network of crude oil pipelines – have together agreed to the civil penalty settlement amount.
In 2015, Bridger’s Poplar Pipeline ruptured where it crosses under the Yellowstone River near Glendive. The pipeline crossing had been installed using the “trench-cut” method. The pipeline failed after being exposed due to river scour.
Bridger has completed its cleanup of the Montana spill site, and Bridger and the State of Montana separately resolved claims under Montana state law.
Belle Fourche’s Bicentennial Pipeline ruptured in 2016 in Billings County, N.D. The pipeline traversed a steep hillside above an unnamed tributary to Ash Coulee Creek – which feeds into the Little Missouri River – when the slope failed, the press release states.
The size of the North Dakota spill was exacerbated by the company's failure to detect the spill until it was reported by a local landowner.
Belle Fourche’s cleanup of the North Dakota spill site is ongoing with oversight by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The State of North Dakota is a co-plaintiff in this case, and it has worked closely with the United States. Both are signatories to the consent decree.
In addition to the $12.5 million civil penalty, the companies are required to implement specified compliance measures including meeting certain control room operation requirements and related employee training, implementing their water crossings and geotechnical evaluation programs and updating their integrity management program. Belle Fourche will also pay the state of North Dakota’s past response costs.
