Exxon agrees to $1 million penalty for 2011 Yellowstone River oil spill

Exxon Mobil Corp. has agreed to pay a $1.05 million penalty to settle alleged federal pollution violations resulting from a 2011 oil pipeline spill into Montana's Yellowstone River.

The agreement was detailed in documents filed Friday in federal court in Billings. It's subject to a 30-day public comment period and needs final approval from U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.

The spill upstream of Billings came after flooding had scoured the river bottom and exposed the buried pipeline, causing it to break and release 63,000 gallons of crude.

It damaged thousands of acres along an 85-mile stretch of the popular waterway and required a months-long cleanup.

Read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/exxon-agrees-to-million-penalty-for-yellowstone-river-oil-spill/article_16709b8d-03f7-59f3-80c7-b5453ad0755a.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest