Montana Pipeline Council to Get Inspection Results

Federal safety regulators are due to disclose whether any more oil or gas pipelines crossing beneath Montana waterways could be at risk of failure.

Representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation will appear Tuesday before a governor-appointed council to deliver the results of recent inspections of pipeline river crossings across the state.

The inspections were spurred by the July 1 failure of an Exxon Mobil pipeline that spilled an estimated 1,000 barrels of oil into the Yellowstone River near Laurel.

The office of Gov. Brian Schweitzer has estimated there are about 88 pipeline waterway crossings in Montana. Schweitzer established the Oil Pipeline Safety Review Council to identify gaps in government oversight of the industry and make recommendations on how to prevent future breaks.