Tampa, Florida-A federal agency has levied a fine of nearly $400,000 against Tampa Pipeline, the owner of a 30-mile-long anhydrous ammonia pipeline feeding phosphate plants in Bone Valley, for a leak caused by a 16-year-old boy in November. The company said it will protest the fine, according to various local media reports, and sought an exemption until Aug. 1 to file. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration cited a dozen violations totaling $398,000 in penalties, the worst of which included insufficient trained personnel to deal with the leak, and that the company failed to coordinate with emergency officials. The youth, who drilled a hole in the pipe in search of money he thought was hidden by a robber, was charged in the case, but details were not released due to his age.
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