Montana Oil Spill Sparks Call For More Regulations

By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje

A major oil spill into Montana's Yellowstone River is raising concerns about the impact of energy production on water quality.

An EPA spokesperson said "that Bridger Pipeline Co. recovered about 20,000 gallons of crude from its pipeline. That's 10,000 gallons more than originally reported, meaning 30,000 gallons went into the river Jan. 17," the Associated Press reported.

The spill endangered the drinking water supply for thousands of people.

"The accident temporarily prevented 6,000 people in Glendive from drinking their tap water after traces of oil were found in a water treatment plant. Health officials are monitoring the supply, and no further contamination has been detected," the report said.

The spill has prompted lawmakers to call for stricter oversight of oil sites. Sen. Jon Tester, D-MT, said the spill was avoidable.

"[We] just didn't have the folks on the ground [to prevent it]," he said, according to a separate AP report.

Tester called for stricter rules. "We need to take a look at some of these pipelines that have been in the ground for half a century and say, 'Are they still doing a good job?'" he said, per the AP.

It's not the first spill in the Yellowstone River.

"The spill is the second in the river in recent years. In 2011, Exxon Mobil Corp's 40,000 bpd Silvertip pipeline in Montana ruptured underneath the river, releasing more than 1,000 barrels of crude and costing the company about $135 million to clean up," Reuters reported.

For more information regarding source water contamination, check out Water Online's Source Water Contamination Solution Center.