MARCH 11, 2015
GLENDIVE, MONTANA
The pipeline company
responsible for the leak of a large amount of crude oil into the Yellowstone
River near Glendive on Jan. 17 reopened a portion of the line Wednesday.
The U.S. Department
of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
approved Bridger Pipeline LLC on March 6 to re-open a 49-mile portion of the
Poplar System pipeline beyond the point where it ruptured, according to the
Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
The section of the
line where the leak occurred is under the riverbed, and that part of the line
has not yet been repaired and will remain closed.
Bill Salvin, the
pipeline company spokesman, said the part that is restarting is south of the
break.
The line from that
point south to Baker was in the process of reopening Wednesday morning.
To assure the line
is capable of restarting safely, Salvin said the line will be tested by holding
pressure in two separate sections for two hours each.
Once the pressure is
tested in each section, the entire segment of the re-opened line will be
pressure tested and evaluated.
The amount of oil
that will move through the line is very minimal, Salvin said.
Salvin said the
pipeline will only operate at about 30 to 40 percent of the pressure the line
is approved for.
To date, about 548
barrels, or 23,000 gallons, have been recovered from the pipe and the
river.
But that does not
mean the cleanup process is nearing an end.
"We don't
expect significant recovery from here on out," said Salvin.
With the river ice
melting, the technique of slotting and skimming the oil out is no longer
possible because crews cannot be on top of the ice.
Salvin said the
airboats that crews had been using are now too heavy for the ice.
The state DEQ posted
on its website a copy of a Notice of Liability letter that was sent to the
pipeline company. The letter states that the pipeline company must complete a
final analysis of the oil leak by March 20.
Salvin said the
company has received the letter and has been working closely with state and
federal agencies to make sure the company meets all of its responsibilities.