ExxonMobil fined $2.6 million for March 2013 failure of Pegasus pipeline in Mayflower, Ark.

Washington, D.C. — The arm of the federal government responsible for the maintenance and safety of oil pipelines today announced a $2,630,400 civil penalty against ExxonMobil for the failure of its Pegasus pipeline on March 29, 2013 in Mayflower, Ark.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, announced the completion of its investigation into the March 29, 2013 ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline failure in Mayflower, Arkansas.  PHMSA’s final administrative enforcement action assesses a civil penalty of $2,630,400 for violating federal pipeline safety regulations for integrity management and operations and maintenance procedures.  The failure investigation concluded that the cause of the incident was a result of time intensified defects of originally manufactured pipe. Approximately 3,190 barrels of crude oil spilled from its 853 mile, 20-inch pipeline that runs from Patoka, Illinois to Nederland, Texas.  PHMSA approved the operator’s request return the southern segment of the pipeline to service in July 2014 at a reduced operating pressure.  The pipeline’s northern segment that runs through Mayflower remains out of service under PHMSA’s authority.
To view the full 47-page report, click HERE.
To view links to previous Hill ’n Holler on the oil spill, click HERE.