MAYFLOWER, Ark. (AP) — A federal agency has completed its initial review of a report about an Exxon Mobil Corp. oil pipeline that ruptured in central Arkansas this year.
That report, which was prepared by Hurst Metallurgical Research Laboratory Inc., points to a manufacturing defect of the pipe.
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokesman Damon Hill says the report is one part of the agency's ongoing investigation as it works to identify the underlying cause of the March 29 rupture of ExxonMobil Pipeline Company's Pegasus pipeline.
The pipeline spilled thousands of barrels of oil into the central community of Mayflower.
No one was injured in the spill, but the incident led authorities to evacuate more than 20 homes.
Hill says the pipeline will remain shut down until the agency is convinced it can be restarted safely.