(Newswire.net — January 19, 2015) — Billings, Mont. – Up to 50,000 gallons of oil spilled oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, after an oil pipeline breach. Montana officials, however, said there are no threats to public safety or health, AP reported.
The initial estimate is that 300 to 1,200 barrels of oil spilled at about 10 a.m. Saturday, the company said in a statement on Sunday.
“We think it was caught pretty quick, and it was shut down,” said Dave Parker, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Bullock.
Some of the oil did get into the water, however the area where it spilled was frozen over and that could help reduce the impact, he said. “The governor is committed to making sure the river is cleaned up.”
The company immediately shut down the 12-inch-wide pipeline, officials from Bridger Pipeline Co. said in the statement.
“Our primary concern is to minimize the environmental impact of the release and keep our responders safe as we clean up from this unfortunate incident,” said Tad True, vice president of Bridger.
A similar event occurred when an Exxon Mobil Corp. pipeline broke near Laurel during flooding in July 2011, releasing 63,000 gallons of oil that washed up along an 85-mile stretch of riverbank causing substantial damage to birds, fish and other natural resources. Exxon Mobil spent $135 million on the cleanup and other work, and is facing state and federal fines of up to $3.4 million.
The company also is being asked to pay for long-term environmental studies and for lost opportunities for fishing and recreation during and since the cleanup.