LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Exxon Mobil has asked a federal regulatory agency to withdraw or change a decision fining the oil giant $2.6 million for safety violations the government says preceded an Arkansas oil spill more than two years ago.
An Exxon Mobil subsidiary asked the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Wednesday to reconsider the fine and its findings, handed down earlier this month.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/1MJDoZK ) the government found that the company had committed nine violations involving safety practices.
The pipeline, built in the 1940s, cracked open in Mayflower’s Northwoods neighborhood, leaking tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the neighborhood, a cove of Lake Conway and drainage ditches.
The safety administration ordered the company to update its integrity management program to ensure that risks are sufficiently identified, especially those common pre-1970 pipes created with low-frequency, electric-resistant welding.
In the 26-page petition, Exxon Mobil said the administration’s decision “ignores or selectively mischaracterizes several material facts to support its findings.”
“It is undisputed that (low-frequency, electric-resistance welded) pipe is not prohibited for use in commerce,” Exxon Mobil wrote. “In fact, roughly one-quarter of all oil pipelines in the United States at present were manufactured by (low-frequency, electric-resistance welded) processes.”
Exxon Mobil argues it utilizes a safety program similar to those used throughout the industry.
Since the Mayflower spill, most of the 850-mile-long Pegasus Pipeline, which runs from the Gulf Coast of Texas to Patoka, Ill., has been shut down. A 211-mile section of the line in Texas has resumed operation.
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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.arkansasonline.com
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