Keystone XL Workers Might Be Laying Faulty Pipeline That Could Lead to a Worst-Case Spill Scenario

Impact

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline suffered a 22-foot long gash that led to the rupture that gushed up to 294,000 gallons of tar sands dilbit down the streets of Mayflower on March 29.

McDaniel revealed the news of the 22-foot gash at a press conference this afternoon and stated that, to the best of his knowledge, ExxonMobil had complied with the dictates of the initial subpoena for documents he issued on April 4

That subpoena was issued in response to the March 29 rupture of Exxon's Pegasus Pipeline, a 20-inch tube carrying 95,000 barrels of tar sands crude per day — also known as diluted bitumen, or "dilbit" — from Patoka, Illinois, to Nederland, Texas

"We received 12,587 pages of documents, including more than 200 blueprint-sized diagrams. Our investigation is ongoing," Aaron Sadler, Spokesman for McDaniel told DeSmogBlog.

The cause of the Pegasus gash is still unknown.

Could it be a faulty or corroded weld that led to the gash in the 65-year-old Pegasus pipeline? Did it corrode due to its age or as a result of error on Exxon's part?

The 12,587 pages of documents will hopefully have some answers. 

Article originally appeared on DeSmogBlog.