Federal regulators review Enbridge control centre

Officials from the National Energy Board were in Edmonton on Wednesday to review an Enbridge pipeline control centre that was rebuilt and relocated after 20,000 barrels of oil leaked into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan two years ago.

The company claims the new centre is the most sophisticated of its kind in the world. Federal regulators are now having a look to make sure operations and procedures are in compliance with pipeline regulations.

"We certainly put them on notice after the Kalamazoo incident that we would be interested to know what changes have taken place to improve safety and environmental protections," said Iain Colquhoun from the National Energy Board.

Earlier this year, the United States Transportation Safety Board found that staff in the Edmonton control centre ignored repeated leak warnings for 17 hours before shutting down the pipeline responsible for the Michigan spill.

The response prompted American officials to compare the employees to the "Keystone Cops."

The findings of the National Energy Board review are expected to be published in a few weeks.