Exxon Mobil is trying to clear up the oil spill disaster that occured last Friday in Mayflower, Arkansas. The state’s Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has opened an investigation into what caused the 2-3 inch gash in an underground Pegasus pipeline. Between 3,500 and 5,000 barrels of heavy crude leaked from the pipeline, according to Exxon Mobile spokesman Alan Jeffers.
The oil company has stated that they will pay all of the costs related to the spill. So far, there is no timeline as to when the cleanup will be completed.
“This incident has damaged private property and Arkansas’s natural resources. Homeowners have been forced from their homes as a result of this spill,” McDaniel said in a statement. “Requesting that Exxon secure these documents and data is the first step in determining what happened and preserving evidence for any future litigation.”
It’s time for oil companies to clean up their mess and get their act together so these disastrous spills can be avoided in the first place.