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State Investigators To Visit Site Of Oil Pipeline Break

Michael Hibblen/ KUAR

On Wednesday, state investigators are to visit the site of last week’s rupture of an oil pipeline in Mayflower.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says his office has also told ExxonMobil, which owns the Pegasus Pipeline, to preserve all documents and information related to the spill and ongoing cleanup efforts.

“It’s a tragic occurrence that’s got serious impacts on our citizens and our environment, and we will have a team at the site and the Attorney General’s office will be very diligent in insuring that both clean up and all of our rights and remedies are accomplished,” McDaniel told KUAR News.

An ExxonMobil spokesman has apologized for the accident, which spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil, and is covering the cost of the cleanup.

McDaniel says the investigation being launched will look at the cause and impact of the spill.

“Well if things go right you don’t have thousands of barrels of oil in people’s yards, so something went wrong,” he said.

McDaniel said he has spoken with attorneys general in other states that have dealt with oil spills in recent years to get their guidance.

He said he expects ExxonMobil to comply with his request.

Michael Hibblen was a journalist for KUAR News from May 2009 — December 2022. During his final 10 years with the station, he served as News Director. In January 2023, he was hired by Arkansas PBS to become its Senior Producer/ Director of Public Affairs.
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