AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Exxon Mobil has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a federal lawsuit over a 2012 oil pipeline spill outside Baton Rouge, La.
The pipeline ruptured in Torbert, spilling at least 117,000 gallons of oil, some of which flowed into a tributary of Bayou Cholpe, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Dept. of Justice Tuesday.
“Today’s settlement achieves a just result and furthers our enforcement mission,” Sam Hirsch, acting assistant attorney general for the justice department’s environment and natural resources division, said in a prepared statement.
Irving-based Exxon continues to clean-up the area around the spill under orders from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
“We believe that this settlement provides for an acceptable outcome that avoids protracted litigation between the Parties. Safety is always our priority, and we are committed to operating in a safe and responsible manner,” an Exxon spokesman said in an email.