BILLINGS,
Mont. (AP) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. has agreed to pay $12 million for
environmental damages caused by a pipeline break that spilled 63,000
gallons (238,474 liters) of oil into Montana's Yellowstone River and
prompted a national debate over lax pipeline safety rules, officials
said Wednesday.
The
payment is meant to settle claims from the U.S. and state governments
that the crude oil killed fish and wildlife and damaged thousands of
acres along an 85-mile (137-kilometer) stretch of the famous river that
flows through southern Montana.
Court approval is pending before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby.
Exxon could face further penalties for violations of federal water pollution laws, a matter not addressed in the settlement.
The pipeline break upstream of Billings, Montana's largest city, required a monthslong cleanup.
A
U.S. Transportation Department investigation found Exxon workers failed
to adequately heed warnings that the 20-year-old pipeline was at risk
from flooding.
Gov.
Steve Bullock, Attorney General Tim Fox and representatives of the U.S.
Justice Department announced the $12 million settlement at the site of
the pipeline break in Laurel. The Associated Press obtained details in
advance.
"All
of us as Montanans lost something when that spill occurred," Bullock
said. "This money is to make sure not just that we're compensated but
the pelicans are where they should be, the fish are where they should
be."
Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Cruden said restoration of the river is not done.
"We're going to work to bring the river back to where it would have been but for that spill event." Cruden said.
Some
$4.7 million of the settlement will go to shoreline and channel
restoration and improvement, Fox said. Another $3.6 million will be for
wildlife habitat restoration, $2.4 million for improving recreational
access, $900,000 for restoration planning and $400,000 for improving
white pelican breeding areas, he said.
Montana will receive $9.5 million from the settlement, and the federal government will get the remaining $2.5 million.
Exxon
previously said it spent $135 million on cleanup and repair work.
Separately, the company has paid $2.6 million to resolve federal safety
and state pollution violations.
Company
spokeswoman Ashley Smith Alemayehu said in a statement that the
settlement is "an adequate resolution to restore, rehabilitate and or
replace injured natural resources and services to pre-spill conditions."
The
accident sparked a national discussion over the adequacy of safety
rules for thousands of pipelines crossing beneath rivers, lakes and
other waterways. Many of those pipelines were installed decades ago in
shallow trenches and can be left exposed after floodwaters scour river
bottoms.
In
the years since the spill — and at the urging of safety regulators —
oil and pipeline companies, including Exxon, have re-installed some
lines at greater depths to reduce the risk of accidents.
However,
there still are no regulatory mandates for lines to be deeply buried.
In January 2015, another shallow pipeline broke and spilled 30,000
gallons (113,559 liters) further downstream along the Yellowstone near
the town of Glendive.
Penalties
against Exxon for possible federal Clean Water Act violations stemming
from the 2011 spill have not yet been levied. An investigation by the
Environmental Protection Agency continues, agency spokesman Richard
Mylott said.
A
consent decree detailing terms of Wednesday's settlement was to be
filed in U.S. District Court in Montana. The deal will be finalized
pending a 30-day public comment period and court approval.
source:yahoo.finance.com
