ExxonMobil (XOM +0.1%) agrees to pay a M settlement related to environmental damages caused by a 2011 pipeline break that spilled 63K gallons of crude oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River.
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While court approval is pending before US Magistrate Judge, Carolyn Ostby, the Daily Mail has reported that despite this offer, the company still face further penalties for pollution law violations.
The payment settles claims from the USA and state governments that the 2011 spill harmed natural resources as it fouled an 85-mile (137-kilometer) stretch of the famous river that flows through southern Montana.
Exxon Mobil under the terms of a joint agreement settled for $12 million for the 2011 oil spill that spoiled a section of the Yellowstone River, officials said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in its investigation into the spill said the company failed to address the risks of river flooding, scour and erosion to its Silvertip pipeline system. “There is a consent decree that was filed in court, signed by all of the parties including the federal government”.
“I want to thank all Montanans and visitors for their ongoing support as we protect Montana jobs and the health of the Yellowstone River, one of the last, great, free-flowing rivers in the United States”.
ExxonMobil Pipeline Company’s Silvertip pipeline burst July 1, 2011 at a crossing beneath the flood-swollen Yellowstone River near Billings, Montana, about 150 miles (241 km) downstream from Yellowstone National Park.
Montana Attorney general Tim Fox explains.
FWP said in a news release that if more cases of dead or dying fish are found in the river in the coming weeks, the river could be closed again.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Cruden gives details on the environmental damage caused by a 63,000-gallon oil spill into Montana’s Yellowstone River from a broken pipeline during a news conference in Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. “This money is to make sure not just that we’re compensated but the pelicans are where they should be, the fish are where they should be”.
“This settlement is an important part of the work being done to ensure that the 2.7 million miles of oil, gas, and liquid chemical pipeline in this country remain safe, and that when incidents occur, the operators assume responsibility for cleanup”, U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter said.
The deal will be finalised pending a 30 day public comment period and court approval.
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