Exxon accused of whitewashing oil spill

BILLINGS, Mont., July 9 (UPI) -- Officials in Montana accused Exxon Mobil Corp. of overselling optimism in press reports concerning the July 1 oil spill in the Yellowstone River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday gave Exxon two months to clean up the spill, which came from a ruptured pipeline -- a pipe officials warned Exxon about a year ago, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Exxon said it could comply with the directive, but deputy director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality Tom Livers said Exxon had asked him to sign off on overly optimistic news releases concerning the oil spill.

Livers said he rejected the offer to sign off on a press release that said the oil spill would not be harmful to people and another that said the oil spill had been contained.

Federal law mandates that oil companies work with government officials in the event of a significant oil spill, the Journal said.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer also said Exxon was overselling progress on the cleanup efforts.

Schweitzer ordered state officials to pull back from the official cleanup operation. Exxon denied it was whitewashing the effects of the spill or the cleanup efforts through public relations.

The oil spill originated in an underwater pipe and released an estimated 1,000 barrels of oil.