“We Montanans take our wildlife and our rivers very serious,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “I can tell you right now, I am gonna stay on this like smell on a skunk until it’s cleaned up.”
Tweaking a phrase from Ronald Reagan , he said he would “verify and verify” ExxonMobil’s performance.
“The state of Montana’s interests are not completely aligned with ExxonMobil’s interests,” he added. “Our interests are restoring the Yellowstone to its original pristine self.”
And by the way, Exxon — he’s sending you the bill.
Schweitzer said Sherman Glass, Exxon's president of refining and supply, assured him Tuesday that the company would be financially responsible for cleaning the spill and restoring the river and its marshes to their original condition.
The Democratic governor, who has a master’s degree in soil science, said he’s concerned about the oily sheen that has been spreading over the wetlands, and about the effects of biomagnification as contaminants move their way up the food chain.
“I am absolutely sure that I am the only governor in America who is also a soil scientist,” Schweitzer said. He added: “There ain’t nobody gonna blow smoke up the south side of this north-facing governor."
Over the weekend, Schweitzer had criticized comments by some ExxonMobil officials who said no damaged wildlife had been found as a result of the spill. (The Billings Gazette has published photos of soiled pelicans and turtles.)
"For somebody to say at this early stage that there's no damage to wildlife, that's pretty silly," Schweitzer told The Associated Press on Saturday. "The Yellowstone River is important to us. We've got to have a physical inspection of that river in small boats — and soon."
ExxonMobil and federal officials also said they had seen oil only about 25 miles downstream from the site of the pipeline break. But Schweitzer said he believes it has traveled hundreds of miles to North Dakota, according to Reuters.
"At 7 miles per hour, some oil is already in North Dakota. That's a given," Schweitzer said. "I'm asking everyone to get out there and report what you see on the river."
Gary Pruessing, president of ExxonMobil Pipeline Co., told reporters Tuesday afternoon the company is sticking with the 25-mile estimate.
“We haven’t confirmed any soiled areas beyond 25 miles,” he said. “I’m not suggesting that’s the limit of the area, but we haven’t confirmed any beyond the 25-mile mark.”
Preussing also wouldn’t commit to any cost estimate to clean up the oil.
“There are no numbers or estimates on what it might cost,” he said. “That’s not our primary focus. [Our focus is to] make sure we find where the oil is and I want to reiterate that we’re going to be here until the job is done. It’s not about the cost or the numbers.”
ExxonMobil has roughly 200 workers walking the shoreline daily to identify additional contaminated areas and place absorbent booms and pads. Crews fly over the contaminated area to provide information on where efforts need to be concentrated for the following day.
“We are committed to being here and to responding to this event,” he said. “We are going to be here until the cleanup is completed.”
There is no word yet on how long the pipeline will remain shut, Preussing said. Nearby refineries, such as the plant in Billings, have been cut down to minimal capacity because the burst line is the primary source for the refinery.
Meanwhile, Schweitzer said he continues to support TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would pass underneath the Yellowstone River while carrying tar-sands crude oil from Alberta to Texas.
“Modern pipeline technology does not lay pipeline in the bed of a river,” he said, adding the Keystone project is needed.
“Montana is an energy state,” he said. “And we can’t use it all here.”
This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 7:53 p.m. on July 5, 2011.
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