Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced today that ExxonMobil’s Pegasus pipeline suffered a 22 foot long gash that led to the rupture that gushed up to 294,000 gallons of tar sands dilbit down the streets of Mayflower on March 29.

McDaniel revealed the news of the 22-foot gash at a press conference this afternoon and stated that – to the best of his knowledge – ExxonMobil had complied with the dictates of the initial subpoena for documents he issued on April 4. 

That subpoena was issued in response to the March 29 rupture of Exxon’s Pegasus Pipeline, a 20-inch tube carrying 95,000 barrels of tar sands crude per day – also known as diluted bitumen, or “dilbit” – from Patoka, Illinois to Nederland, Texas. 

“We received 12,587 pages of documents, including more than 200 blueprint-sized diagrams. Our investigation is ongoing,” Aaron Sadler, Spokesman for McDaniel told DeSmogBlog.

The cause of the Pegasus gash is still unknown.

In February, the Tar Sands Blockade group revealed photographs that appear to indicate that TransCanada – which is now building the southern half of the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas – may be laying poorly-welded pipe there.

Could it be a faulty or corroded weld that led to the gash in the 65-year-old Pegasus pipeline? Did it corrode due to its age or as a result of error on Exxon’s part?

The 12,587 pages of documents will hopefully have some answers. 

Photo Credit: Karoline Wightman | Fox 16 News