HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Enterprise Crude Pipeline $5,000 for spilling some 4,200 gallons of crude oil into a Texas tributary that feeds into a major river.
The fine announced Monday is roughly $1.19 for each gallon of oil that ended up in Bull Creek, which spills into the Colorado River. The river is a major source of water for Texas, which is recovering from one of the worst droughts in its history.
The EPA reached an "expedited settlement" with Houston-based Enterprise. It says the company "certified it has investigated the cause of the spill" and cleaned it up. Enterprise was fined under the federal Clean Water Act.
Enterprise says it operates more than 5,200 miles of onshore crude oil pipelines.