ExxonMobil has a problem with the Mayflower Oil spill

It seems the serious court cases have begun for this and what it's done. I think the full ramifications are yet to be fully felt and appreciated though. I'll give a quick recap for what this is and was. Here is one of the original ATS threads on the disaster.

Exxon pipeline leaks thousands of barrels of Canadian oil in Arkansas

Here is another story from the same event with more visual of what it was about at the time it started.

Activists claim Arkansas oil spill diverted into wetland

The original source for this next piece is RT, and I don't much care for that source for different reasons. They get as much right as not though, and I do know from a variety of sources since this happened that what they're talking about here is accurate to how things are going for people down there.

After 210,000 gallons of heavy crude spilled into an Arkansas community, ExxonMobil assured residents that toxic chemicals have remained at safe levels. But locals say they are suffering from deteriorating health conditions and trouble breathing.

Residents of Mayflower, Ark., have reported difficulty breathing, sinus problems, burning noses and eyes, extreme fatigue, headaches, stomachaches and unexplained sore throats – often accompanied by a putrid stench.

(Source: Energy Tribune)

So what is the main source of ExxonMobil's problem? Oh, they surely do have one alright. You see, in my humble opinion, they largely caused this to happen by greed and very negligent decision making. That's not something to just blurp out as a total layman to the oil business though. It takes a bit more...substance. Well, now it's become the primary contention and point in Federal Court.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CN) - ExxonMobil faces a federal class action for the March 29 rupture of a pipeline carrying tar sands oil that was "the worst oil spill in Arkansas history." Load plaintiffs Kathryn Jane Roachell Chunn and Kimla Green sued ExxonMobil and three pipeline subsidiaries, the March 29 spill hurt property values of homeowners within 3,000 feet of the Pegasus Pipeline.

Keep in mind, this is the same Oil that is going to be running through the Keystone XL extension.

It states: "In 2006, in order to maximize profits, the defendants reversed the Pegasus Pipeline to increase the flow of crude oil southward from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The defendants desired to transport larger amounts of Canadian crude tar sands, which is more abrasive, to the Gulf Coast through the Pegasus Pipeline running through Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. It is known in the industry that a change in the direction of oil flow in a pipeline can affect the hydraulic and stress demands on the pipeline and the abrasive quality of the hydrocarbon product can increase corrosion and deteriorate the quality of the pipe.

"The pipe was in a defective, unsafe condition and the defendants' corporate profit-enhancing decision to run a higher volume and more abrasive crude hydrocarbon through the pipeline put further stress demands on the defective pipe." (14)

and therein lay what I think forms the real boggle for the people at Exxon. We're talking about a long pipeline too. How much more was damaged but hasn't quite failed yet? How many more homes sit near parts and don't even know it?

The class claims that the pipeline "was and has not been properly and adequately inspected or maintained to ensure the safe transport of crude oil and/or tar sands through the entire route of the Pegasus Pipeline traversing through Arkansas."

It claims ExxonMobil was aware of the problem but continued to use the pipe.

(Source: Courthouse News)

It may not just be Arkansas by the end of it all, either. This next report is from May 1st, 2013 in Ripley County, Missouri.

May 1 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp's near 70-year-old Pegasus oil pipeline leaked a small amount of crude into a residential yard in Ripley County, Missouri on Tuesday, a month after the same pipe spewed thousands of barrels of crude in Arkansas.

A resident notified the company of the spill after spotting a patch of oil and dead vegetation seven miles (11 km) south of Doniphan in the southeast of the state, Exxon and state officials said on Wednesday.

(Source: Huffington Post)

So what does everyone think? At the least, it would seem the whole Pegasus Pipeline (and maybe a number of others?) really ought to be checked, end to end. This is all getting to be a bit too "ho hum" and routine for the nature of what happens, IMO.

I doubt they will check it end to end, that would be the moral thing to do but profit it seems will trump morals every time. Checking it end to end would probably be more expensive than a few legal battles with sick residents around any spills

Grant it, Exxon should assume overall responsibility for these disasters, but do not forget the pipelines are maintained and administered to by EPC companies in the employ of the oil company.

Midstream components of the Oil and Gas industry is were this problem lays and in this scenario an investigation into the engineering and development of the infrastructure would be of most benefit.

This could be a part of a bigger problem. Perhaps current engineering and construction procedures need to be reevaluated.

Piping the crude is still the most efficient and cost effective method and even the safest means of transportation are far from 100% reliable.

The fact of the matter is, the west is built upon that black liquid and will continue to do so until more efficient, renewable and environmentally friendly forms of energy are developed. So until that day, we all must bear the cost of disasters such as these, as it is our demand for it that propagates the continued occurrences of these incidents.

Just reality folks, I dont mean to sound insensitive.

hey,,c'mon...Exxon brought out hundreds of rolls of paper towels to clean it up, what more do you want, an actual clean-up, jail time for execs, and fines???......get real, this is Exxon, nobody screws with them, they are the largest corporation in the world, and they are not going to let citizens or governments mess with their profits.
maybe you can have Exxon grown vegetables, with your BP seafood, and a glass of fracked ice water, tonight for dinner.