Mayflower Oil Spill

Mayflower Oil Spill Photo Gallery

Mayflower Oil Spill

On the afternoon of March 29, an oil pipeline owned by Exxon Mobil Corp. ruptured in a residential neighborhood in the city of Mayflower, displacing dozens of residents and causing a major spill of at least 5,000 barrels of heavy crude oil. Local authorities ordered an evaucation of 22 residences in the Northwoods subdivision east of Interstate 40. Spill cleanup is ongoing and many residents have not returned to their homes.

The pipeline is shut down as authorities investigate the cause of the spill. The faulty section of pipe, a 22-foot-long rupture, has been removed.

Call the Attorney General's Office hotline or email with concerns, questions, or consumer complaints related to the spill.

Toll-free hotline: (855) 388-6555
Email: oilspill@ArkansasAG.gov

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has regulatory authority over the underground, interstate pipeline. The pipeline that ruptured was Exxon Mobil's Pegasus Pipeline, which carries oil produced in western Canada about 850 miles from Illinois to the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline enters Arkansas in Randolph County in the northeast corner of the state and continues to Little River County in the southwest corner of the state. (Click here to learn the location of pipelines in the United States.)

On April 2, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued a subpoena to Exxon Mobil seeking documents and other information related to maintenance, inspection and safety records of the 65-year-old pipeline. The company responded on April 10, providing 12,587 pages of information that the Attorney General's Office is currently reviewing.

The Attorney General has sought additional documentation from Exxon, and he has said he will continue to do so as the Attorney General's investigation continues.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency have conducted air- , soil-, and water-quality tests at the site of the spill. The Attorney General's Office has also commissioned air sampling for several homes in the area. The Arkansas Department of Health analyzed the data. A copy of the report can be obtained here.

ADEQ updates its website daily with its monitoring readings. Visit ADEQ's oil spill page.

EPA's On-scene Coordinator also provides information via the Internet.

Exxon Mobil's phone number for consumer claims is (800) 876-9291. Exxon also has a webpage related to the spill.