Montana In State Of Emergency, Pipeline Burst Spills 50,400 Gallons Of Oil Into Yellowstone River and Pollutes Water Supplies
January 20, 2015
This past Saturday morning, a pipeline in Montana burst, spilling 50,400 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River. According to CNN, Montana Governor Steve Bullock declared a state of emergency, and residents were told not to drink the tap water, as it smelled of diesel.
The massive spill occurred when the 12-inch pipeline ruptured about five miles upstream from Glendive. The Bridger Pipeline company shut down the pipeline, but not before many residents noticed a gaseous odor in their drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has since tested water samples, and the city water plant has ceased drawing water from the river.
During the time of the spill, Yellowstone River was partially frozen. Unfortunately, its somewhat solid state is making it even harder to clean up the mess. According to Think Progress, crews were attempting to use booms to prevent the spill from spreading further, but the ice on top of the river was forcing them to "hunt and peck" through it.
However, there is a bright side - the lake being partially frozen helped to isolate the spill. Government spokesperson Dave Parker stated, "We think it was caught pretty quick, and it was shut down." He also told MTN News, "The Governor is committed to ensuring that the river is completely cleaned up and the folks responsible are held accountable."
This oil spill is not the first major spill to happen in the Yellowstone River - in 2011, 63,000 gallons poured out of a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline. At the time, there were concerns that the spill was related to climate-change-influenced raging floodwaters that exposed the normally deeply-buried pipe to damaging debris.
News of the recent oil spill has once again raised concerns about the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which would pump more than 34 million gallons of oil per day through the Dakotas down into Nebraska and into the southern leg in Oklahoma and Texas.