Officials have confirmed that that an oil pipeline breach has spilled up to 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Mont.The Great Falls Tribune is reporting that some of the oil made its way into the water, but much of the area was frozen over and might help reduce the impact.
Bridger Pipeline officials confirmed late Sunday that the company had shut down a 12-inch pipeline.
"Our primary concern is to minimize the environmental impact of the release and keep our responders safe as we clean up from this unfortunate incident," said Bridger spokesman Tad True.
Regulators from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality have responded to the area.
In July 2011, an Exxon Mobil pipeline broke under the river, releasing 63,000 gallons of oil, triggering state and federal fines of up to $3.4 million.
