By Edward Welsch
CALGARY, Alberta--U.S. regulators prohibited Enbridge Inc. (ENB)
from restarting an oil pipeline in Wisconsin, saying the pipeline
company must perform additional tests.
Enbridge's Line 14 pipeline leaked about 1,200 barrels of oil
near Grand Marsh, Wis. on Friday, from the same pipeline system
that suffered a catastrophic leak two years earlier in neighboring
Wisconsin.
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a corrective order
against Enbridge for the Wisconsin spill, saying the Calgary energy
infrastructure company must conduct new tests on the integrity of
the pipeline as well as bring in an independent expert to
investigate the company's pipeline maintenance plan.
"Pipelines operate safely across the country every single day.
That's why accidents, like the one in Wisconsin, are absolutely
unacceptable," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a
statement.
An Enbridge spokeswoman wasn't immediately available for
comment.
"I will soon meet with Enbridge's leadership team and they will
need to demonstrate why they should be allowed to continue to
operate this Wisconsin pipeline without either a significant
overhaul or a complete replacement," Mr. LaHood said.
Line 14 normally transports up to 318,000 barrels of oil a day
from Superior, Wis. to Mokena, Ill. It's part of the larger
Mainline pipeline system that transports the majority of the U.S.'s
crude oil imports from Canada, the U.S.'s largest foreign oil
supplier.
Enbridge shares were recently down 1.8% to 41.07 Canadian
dollars (US$41) on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Write to Edward Welsch at edward.welsch@dowjones.com
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