Exxon’s Yellowstone oil spill: Up to 1K barrels
Hundreds of barrels of crude oil spilled into Montana’s Yellowstone River after an ExxonMobil pipeline beneath the riverbed ruptured, sending a plume 25 miles downstream and forcing temporary evacuations, officials said.
The break near Billings in south-central Montana fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts Saturday to close intakes.
The river has no dams on its way to its confluence with the Missouri River just across the Montana border in North Dakota. It was unclear how far the plume might travel.
Cleanup crews deployed booms and absorbent material as the plume moved downstream at an estimated 5 to 7 mph.
“The parties responsible will restore the Yellowstone River,” Mont. Gov. Brian Schweitzer said.
Exxon’s Yellowstone oil spill prompts evacuations
A 600-foot-long black smear of oil coated Jim Swanson’s riverfront property just downstream from where the pipe broke.
“Whosever pipeline it is better be knocking on my door soon and explaining how they’re going to clean it up,” Swanson said as globules of oil bubbled to the surface. “They say they’ve got it capped off. I’m not so sure.”