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The fine helps to settle a case against Enterprise for violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to spills in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.

In addition to the civil penalty, Enterprise has agreed to take measures aimed at preventing future threats to the pipeline. Karl Brooks is Region 7 Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.

“So the effect of what we’ve agreed to with the pipeline operators here is to have a better safety and inspection program so they get out on the ground more, they can tell when their pipeline might be vulnerable, and they can warn companies that work around pipelines to take better precautions.”

Enterprise says all three spills were caused by factors outside the company’s control.  Those in Nebraska and Kansas were both caused by landowners puncturing the pipeline with heavy equipment. Severe flooding along the Missouri River last year caused the Iowa spill by washing away support for the pipeline.

Enterprise has an asset base of over $30 billion and operates over 50,000 miles of pipelines.