Want to bet the ExxonMobile CEOs will still get their bonuses this year?
Oil swirled in a flooded gravel pit in Lockwood, Mont. after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured. Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette, via Associated Press
LAUREL, Mont. (AP) — An ExxonMobil pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone River in Montana ruptured Saturday and leaked hundreds of barrels of oil into the waterway, causing a 25-mile plume that fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts downstream to close intakes.
The break near Billings in south-central Montana led to temporary evacuations of hundreds of residents along a 20-mile stretch.
And here’s what the governor of Montana has to say about it:
[...] “The parties responsible will restore the Yellowstone River,” Mont. Gov. Brian Schweitzer said.
I guess if Schweitzer were a Republican, he’d probably say that ‘accidents happen‘ and tell everyone to man up and to not ‘demonize‘ ExxonMobile.
ExxonMobil spokeswoman Pam Malek said the pipe leaked an estimated 750 to 1,000 barrels of oil for about a half-hour before it was shut down. Other Exxon officials had estimated up to 42,000 gallons of crude oil escaped.
[...] “The timing couldn’t be worse,” said Steve Knecht, chief of operations for Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, who added that the plume was measured at 25 miles near Pompeys Pillar National Monument. “With the Yellowstone running at flood stage and all the debris, it makes it dang tough to get out there to do anything.”
Brent Peters, the fire chief for the city of Laurel about 12 miles west of Billings, said the rupture in the 12-inch diameter pipe occurred late Friday about a mile south of Laurel.
He said about 140 people in the Laurel area were evacuated early Saturday due to concerns about possible explosions and the overpowering fumes. He said they were allowed to return at about 4 a.m. after fumes had decreased.
The Republicans insist on continuing to subsidize oil companies — while some, like Rand Paul, wouldn’t even require them to be financially responsible for spills like this.
Also, too, drill here, drill now!
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