Oil spills in Arkansas and Utah stir opponents of Keystone XL

Wednesday, April 3, 2013  

Oil spills in Arkansas and Utah are renewing opposition to the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline.

An Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured in central Arkansas on Friday, prompting the Environmental Protection Agency to label it a "major spill," The New York Times reported. Some 22 homes had to be evacuated and crews were still cleaning up the mess as of Tuesday.

In Utah, a Chevron pipeline leaked more than 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel on March 18. It was the third spill in three years in that state.

“What we’ve got here is a small example of the type of risks associated with a tar sands pipeline,” Anthony Swift, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which opposes the Keystone XL project, told the Times. “It also demonstrates the large gaps in pipeline safety.”

Get the Story:
Pipeline Spills Stir New Criticism of Keystone Plan (The New York Times 4/3)

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