Oil spill damage assessed at Yellowstone

LAUREL, Mont. -- Teams of federal and state workers fanned out Sunday along Montana's famed Yellowstone River to gauge the environmental damage from a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the waterway.

The break near Billings, in south-central Montana, fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes. Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Sonya Pennock said an unspecified amount of oil could be seen some 40 miles downriver during a flyover Sunday, and there were other reports of oil as far as 100 miles away near the town of Hysham.

But Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. president Gary Pruessing said company observers flying over the river had seen "very little soiling" beyond Billings, and that the oil appeared to be evaporating and dissipating into the flooded river. A state official said the company's claim was reasonable but had not been independently verified.

An estimated 1,000 barrels, or 42,000 gallons, spilled Saturday before the flow from the damaged pipeline was stopped.

Exxon Mobil revealed Sunday that the 12-inch pipeline had been shut down in May because of concerns over the rising waters on the Yellowstone. Pruessing said the company restarted the line a day later after examining its safety record and deciding the risk of failure was low.

Company and government officials have speculated that high waters from recent rainfall and snowmelt may have scoured the river bottom and exposed the pipeline to debris that could have damaged the pipe.

Up to 100 emergency response workers from Exxon Mobil and its contractors were due on the scene by late yesterdaySunday. Pruessing said they would remain there until the cleanup is complete.

But property owners along the river were growing frustrated with the response, particularly in agricultural areas where crops and pastures for grazing were at risk. The Yellowstone River is also popular among fishermen, though areas further upriver from the spill are more heavily trafficked.