July 7 Update on Federal Response to Silvertip Pipeline Oil Spill Near Billings, Montana (MT)
At approximately 11:00 PM on Friday, July 1 a break occurred in a 12-inch pipeline owned by ExxonMobil that resulted in a spill of crude oil into the Yellowstone River approximately 20 miles upstream of Billings, Montana. According to the company’s estimates, 1,000 barrels of oil entered the river, which is in flood stage, before the pipeline was cut off.
EPA’s primary concern is protection of
human health and the environment, and the agency is conducting both
air and water sampling to determine what impacts the spill may have
on air or water quality, while also ensuring the responsible party
is held accountable. Air monitoring using real-time instruments
that look for volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide
continue to show no detections in ambient air along the Yellowstone
River. Additionally, air sampling for benzene has been conducted
between Laurel, MT, and Billings, MT, with no detections. We have
collected six 24-hour air samples at locations along the
Yellowstone River to ensure the continued protection of the
community and emergency responders and will publish these results
as soon as they are available.
Water sampling conducted by EPA between Laurel
and Miles City, MT indicates there are no petroleum hydrocarbons
above drinking water levels standards in that region. Preliminary
results indicate that the Yellowstone River opposes no threat to
agriculture use. Prior sampling and ongoing monitoring indicate
that the municipal drinking water supplies in these areas remain
safe. Fully validated results will be on the EPA website within the
next few days. EPA will be coordinating domestic well water testing
and conducting indoor air sampling at residences impacted by the
spill.
EPA is also directing and overseeing cleanup
activities since arriving at the site. As of Thursday, July 7,
approximately 544 personnel are involved in the incident response
and over 360 are in the field conducting cleanup operations and
recovering oil. Personnel continue to walk the shores and deploy
absorbent boom along the river banks to absorb oil that has
collected in slow water areas along the shoreline. While most of
the oil has been encountered within 30 miles of the spill, a pocket
of emulsified oil has been spotted approximately 80 miles
downstream. No evidence of visible oil staining or emulsified oil
has sighted beyond this point during ground and aerial
reconnaissance to Miles City.
On July 6, EPA issued an order to ExxonMobil,
pursuant to the Clean Water Act, directing the company to take a
number of clean-up and restoration activities as a result of an oil
spill into the Yellowstone River. EPA will continue in its role in
directing and overseeing the cleanup and restoration of the river
and ensuring the protection of human health and the
environment.
EPA is coordinating its response actions with
the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and state
and local agencies and will take whatever steps are necessary to
ensure ExxonMobil, as the responsible party, addresses any and all
potential impacts of this spill. In addition, the U.S. Department
of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration is responsible for determining the cause of the
pipeline failure and has been onsite since Saturday.
Press inquiries:
[email protected]
Website: http://www.epa.gov/yellowstoneriverspill