LITTLE ROCK, Ark., April 2 (UPI) -- The Arkansas attorney general is opening an investigation into the cause of an Exxon oil pipeline that burst, forcing evacuation of a neighborhood last week.
State Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said his office has requested Exxon preserve and maintain all relevant records relating to the Pegasus oil pipeline that began spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil on streets in Mayflower, Ark., Friday from a 2- or 3-inch gash, CNN said.
"This incident has damaged private property and Arkansas's natural resources. Homeowners have been forced from their homes as a result of this spill," McDaniel told KARK-TV, Little Rock, Ark. "Requesting that Exxon secure these documents and data is the first step in determining what happened and preserving evidence for any future litigation."
McDaniel would be responsible for representing the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in court, KARK-TV said.
The pipeline transfers oil from Canada to American refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.
