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Colorado fines oil and gas company $225,000 over 2016 spill

DENVER – Colorado has fined an oil and gas company $225,000 for a pipeline leak that contaminated soil and water on a hunting ranch in the western part of the state.

The Denver Post reported Monday (http://dpo.st/2wUUiYN) that the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission fined a subsidiary of Encana Oil and Gas over a June 2016 spill on the Bishop Ranch outside the town of Parachute.

Encana has not said how big the spill was. The newspaper said it obtained a state document showing the Encana subsidiary has recovered about 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) at a cost of $2.7 million.

Bishop Ranch owner Mike Bishop said the fine wasn’t big enough and was unlikely to deter future spills.

The ranch filed a state lawsuit over the spill. The suit is still pending.