The Bridger Pipeline Company on Sunday released a statement saying the spill occurred on Saturday about 10 a.m., with approximately 300 to 1,200 barrels of crude oil being released. There are about 42 gallons in a barrel of oil. Montana officials are saying there does not appear to be any threats to the health or safety of the public.
Dave Parker, a spokesman for Governor Steve Bullock said that some of the oil did get in the water, but in the area where it spilled, the river was frozen, and this might help in reducing the environmental impact. “We think it was caught pretty quick, and it was shut down,” said Parker. “The governor is committed to making sure the river is cleaned up.”
Tad True, vice president of Bridger Pipeline, LLC, in the statement said: “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.” The 12-inch wide crude oil pipeline was shut down shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Bridger Pipeline Company, LLC is a part of a larger entity, True Companies, started by Montana’s most famous “wildcatter,” H. A. “Dave” True in 1948. True Companies, Inc. has a diverse range of enterprises besides just the Bridger Pipeline Company. Oil and gas exploration, trucking, flatbed freight, plant and mine product movements, rail sidings and many, many more industries are on its list of companies.
Bridger Pipeline Company is based in Addison, Texas, with markets spanning 14 states and all major crude oil production regions and basins. Their pipelines provide a flow amounting to over 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
ExxonMobil oil pipeline spill in 2011
On July 1, 2011, a 12-inch pipeline owned by the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company ruptured in Laurel, Montana, dumping about 63,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River and its floodplain for almost 85 miles downstream. According to a later assessment, very little of the oil was recovered in the cleanup efforts.
A Board of Trustees that included representatives from the state and federal government, was established to access the environmental impact created by the spill, and the report showed extensive damage to aquatic life and wildlife habitats. This resulted in ExxonMobil facing state and federal fines amounting to $3.4 million. The company has said they have spent $135 million on the cleanup from the spill.
