(United States)
Belle Fourche Pipeline Company and Bridger Pipeline LLC, affiliated companies that own and operate a network of crude oil pipelines in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming, have together agreed to pay a $12.5 million civil penalty to resolve claims under the Clean Water Act and Pipeline Safety Laws relating to oil spills in Montana and North Dakota.
EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker said: “These spills impacted iconic Western watersheds that communities in Montana and North Dakota depend upon. EPA will continue to hold companies accountable for spills that threaten human health, drinking water, recreation, and fisheries, and ensure they take meaningful measures to prevent future incidents.”
In 2015, Bridger’s Poplar Pipeline ruptured where it crosses under the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana. 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, North Dakota. 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 size of the North Dakota spill was exacerbated by Belle Fourche’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.