OIl companies pay into a special trust fund used to clean up the environment after accidents and spills. The EPA's chief watchdog has gotten a complaint and is investigating whether funds used to clean up a Michigan pipeline spill were spent appropriately.
The Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog has launched an investigation of Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund money that was spent cleaning up the Enbridge oil pipeline spill in Michigan.
The 2010 spill released about 843,444 gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. The release was contained before the oil went into Lake Michigan.
The EPA Office of Inspector General gave few details about the review, which it said was initiated after a call to its hotline.
"The OIG will be reviewing how EPA is managing the use of OSLTF money for the Enbridge oil spill cleanup to ensure that oil spill response needs of regions are being prioritized and addressed," the office said in an announcement.
The cleanup continued through the summer months this year, but most of the affected area had been re-opened as of last June 21, when 34 miles of the river and all of Lake Morrow were cleared for recreational use by EPA, the state and local authorities.
The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is a special government fund that collects funds from oil, gas and energy companies to be used in case of accidents or spills.
The inspector general is the internal watchdog in each federal agency charged with rooting out waste, fraud, spending abuses and corruption.
