Damage to Yellowstone’s Ecosystem Expected To Grow As Oil Enters the Food Chain

When Exxon’s pipeline burst in the Yellowstone River earlier this month, the company said that the “pumps were shut down within seven minutes,” but the consequences from the approximately 1,000 barrels of oil that spilled into the river will likely be felt for years throughout the ecosystem.

Pallid sturgeon. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer.

There is also no way to fully appreciate the extent of the long-term financial damages that will be felt by those whose livelihoods depend on the river and the surrounding areas that it irrigates.

The affected section of the river contains highly prized populations of brown and rainbow trout as well as other fish such as the native pallid sturgeon, sauger, goldeye, channel catfish, and non-native fish, including smallmouth bass, and walleye, which are under heavy threat of contamination.

On July 5, the day the pipeline burst, the river was running at just below flood stage, and volunteers from the non-profit Trout Unlimited reported that oil was evident in wheat fields at least 40 miles downriver near a state wildlife management area and the Pompey’s Pillar National Monument.

The non-profit also worries that “as the flooding recedes, this toxic oil could easily be deposited in important shallow-water spawning and rearing habitats. Toxic components of oil, such as benzene could also threaten macro-invertebrates (i.e., crayfish, clams, and snails) and larval fish.”

On the larger scope, Trout Unlimited also worries about the bio-accumulation of toxins in predatory birds such as eagles, osprey, and kingfishers that feed on the fish. Oil deposition may also harm other wildlife such as amphibians, turtles, waterfowl, mink, muskrats, and beavers.

The organization believes that, “the extent and severity of these impacts depends largely on where and when the oil is deposited, and how extensive the cleanup effort is.”

Intense oversight of the cleanup process is exactly what Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer intends see happen.

In a letter to Sherman Glass, president of refining and marketing at Exxon, the governor demanded that, “Any work on the ruptured pipeline must be performed with representatives from the State of Montana and the EPA present to observe the work.”

The governor also demanded that Exxon “preserve any and all documents relevant to the rupture of the pipeline and the destruction caused by the oil spill in the event of litigation.”

In addition, Gov. Schweitzer told them to “preserve any and all pieces of the ruptured pipeline as evidence in a secure manner. Failure to do so would constitute spoliation of evidence and monetary and evidentiary sanctions.”

Also keeping a close eye on Exxon is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which issued a corrective action order to the company, requiring it to make safety improvements along the pipeline.

The DOT says that it will require the company to rebury the pipeline underneath the Yellowstone riverbed to protect it from external damage and conduct a risk assessment on the pipeline where it crosses any waterway. Exxon will then need to submit a restart plan before operations can resume.

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