ExxonMobil told federal officials and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer that they had sealed the pipeline leaking oil into the Yellowstone River within 30 minutes. But federal documents show that sealing the pipe took 56 minutes — almost twice as long as the company originally said.
The company told the AP that the error came about because the Exxon representative who briefed officials was providing information without the benefit of notes. In other words, not really intended to be a factual statement.
About 150 people, worried about health risks from the spill, came to an EPA meeting on the spill last night. One man said the fumes from oil on his neighbor's property were so strong he could only breathe with all the windows open. Though possibly closing the windows would be a better way to keep out fumes? That’s the EPA’s recommendation, as Grist noted yesterday. But if you’re living next to an open oil slick, what’s the difference, really?
