Exxon Threatens Reporters

credit: Michael Hibblen/KUAR

Mother Jones reports Exxon-Mobil is threatened reporters covering the Mayflower, Arkansas Pegasus pipeline spill. The spill has contaminated nearby Lake Conway with dilbit, the same diluted bitumen that would flow in the Keystone XL pipeline in much greater amounts if B. O'Drama approves it. Evacuees from the contaminated North Woods subdivision are being housed in local hotels at Exxon's expense for an unknown length of time. They are allowed brief home visits as clean up crews remove cubic yards of contaminated soil, and prepare to remove the ruptured section of pipeline.[photo] The rupture occurred on March 29th.

A reporter from InsideClimateNews.org attempted to reach EPA officials working in a command center on the scene. Unfortunately for the reporter, the command center is located on Exxon property and when she reached it on Friday an Exxon spokesperson told the reporter to leave. She was told by another Exxon employee that if she did not leave she would be arrested for criminal trespass. Lisa Song also reported that Exxon-Mobil was controlling information about the spill and that federal agencies are nearly invisible at the spill site despite reassurances from the White House press agent. Calculations about the amount spilled are being treated as proprietary information by the company since potential fines and damages will be based on the amount of spilled oil in the environment. The EPA estimates the volume now at 84,000 gallons of Wabasca heavy crude, a type of diluted bitumen from Canada's oil sands region.

Other reporters covering the story have also experienced hostile responses from the company. A radio station reporter and other reporters accompanying the state's Attorney General inspecting the site on Wednesday were threatened with arrest by sheriff's deputies if they did not leave immediately. The deputies told the reporters that "Exxon Media" did not want them there. Apparently these threats did not go down well with the press because Exxon-Mobil allowed reporters to visit the site of the rupture on Sunday. The FAA has imposed a no fly zone over the site.