LAUREL, Mont. — The scope of Exxon Mobil Corp.’s oil leak into the Yellowstone River could extend far beyond a 10-mile stretch of the famed waterway, the company acknowledged under political pressure Monday.
As the cleanup of tens of thousands of gallons of spilled crude intensified, Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. president Gary Pruessing pledged to do “whatever is necessary” to mop up oil from the 12-inch pipeline that broke at the bottom of the river over the weekend.
The company downplayed assertions earlier from state and federal officials that damage from the spill was spread over dozens of miles. That drew sharp criticism from Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who will tour damaged areas today.
Company officials said their statements were misconstrued, and Pruessing pledged that crews would begin walking the Yellowstone shoreline as soon as the flooding river recedes to look for pooled oil along the banks.
“We’re not limiting the scope of our cleanup to the immediate site,” Pruessing said at a news conference along the river near Laurel, as crews mopped up oil in the background. “We are not trying to suggest in any way that that’s the limit of exposure.”
Underscoring rising anger among some river front property owners, Pruessing was confronted after his news conference by a goat farmer and environmental activist who said his partner was sickened by oil fumes and had to be taken to the emergency room.
“I need to know what we’ve been exposed to. People are sick now,” Mike Scott said.
Scott’s partner, Alexis Bonogofsky, was diagnosed Monday with acute hydrocarbon exposure after she experienced dizziness, nausea and trouble breathing, he said.
Pruessing said air and water monitoring had not revealed any health risks. But he told Scott the company would provide the public with more information.
The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Monday that officials were taking air and water samples to determine the impacts. Exxon Mobil has estimated that up to 1,000 barrels, or 42,000 gallons, of crude oil spilled.
