The agency assessed the largest portion of the penalty — $1 million — for that alleged failure. Most of the other violations drew $100,000 penalties. Despite the largest fine ever levied by PHMSA, the $3.7 million total is much less than what companies have paid out for other large spills. Officials have yet to determine the fine against BP PLC for Clean Water Act violations from the Gulf of Mexico spill, but they could range from $5.4 billion to $21.1 billion. Anthony Swift, attorney for the Natural Resources Defence Council, said the pipeline agency lacks authority to impose meaningful punishment. "With projects this big, a fine of less than $4 million becomes a minimal cost of doing business rather than a real motivator to follow safety standards," Swift said. — with files from The Associated Press