Exxon pipeline leaks into Yellowstone River

A buried oil pipeline owned by Exxon ruptured late last week, sending up to 1,000 barrels of oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana. The cleanup and containment is being complicated by the river being above flood stage and flowing rapidly.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the pipeline was recently inspected and given a clean bill of health, which calls into question whether the inspection and regulation process is adequate to prevent spills.

Exxon said its Silvertip pipeline, which spilled up to 1,000 barrels of oil by Billings, Mont., late Friday, met all regulatory requirements and was inspected in December. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration audited the pipeline’s integrity management program in June, said Gary Pruessing, president of Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co.

“From a risk assessment standpoint, we were confident we had a safe line,” Pruessing said during a press conference.

Alexis Bonogofsky of the National Wildlife Federation, who lives on that river and whose property is now covered with oil, writes about the frustrating experience of getting either the government or Exxon to respond on a holiday weekend.