© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

Cause Of Exxon Oil Spill In Arkansas Under Investigation

Authorities are investigating what caused an Exxon Mobil pipeline to rupture in Mayflower, Ark., Friday. The oil spill caused 22 homes to be evacuated, according to an Exxon statement.

Local station KATV reports homeowners were told Saturday that they might not be able to return for "at least a week." Still, KATV says, there are residents who have been satisfied with officials' response. Evacuated resident Daniesha Modica told KATV:

"I think they did a great job honestly, I mean we were notified immediately to be evacuated. Exxon has been right there on point as far as accommodations."

Crews worked well into Saturday to clean up the spill. Exxon said in a release Saturday that "approximately 4,500 barrels of oil and water have been recovered." It says it responded as if there were 10,000 barrels spilled "to be conservative."

The Environmental Protection Agency considers the incident a "major spill," Exxon says.

Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson says the situation could have been "much worse," Michael Hibblen of member station KUAR tells our Newscast Desk. Dodson said:

"We're just glad that no one was injured, first and foremost, but then once the homes were evacuated, your next concern goes to property and environment."

Exxon says authorities are monitoring air quality, adding:

"The air quality does not likely present a human health risk, with the exception of the high pooling areas, where clean-up crews are working with safety equipment."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Dana Farrington is a digital editor coordinating online coverage on the Washington Desk — from daily stories to visual feature projects to the weekly newsletter. She has been with the NPR Politics team since President Trump's inauguration. Before that, she was among NPR's first engagement editors, managing the homepage for NPR.org and the main social accounts. Dana has also worked as a weekend web producer and editor, and has written on a wide range of topics for NPR, including tech and women's health.
Related Content