Ten barrels of crude oil came rushing out of a pipeline leak north of Greenville, Texas earlier this week forcing at least one family to evacuate. The oil spill is much smaller than the 17,000 gallon leak that occurred last week, near Austin, but will take clean-up crews several days to remediate.
The problem occurred at an above-ground pumping station that connects to a Houston-based company Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., pipeline. A faulty valve connection was to blamed for the oil pipeline leak. Officials say the pipeline itself was not damaged and continues to function normally.
While this small-scale oil spill is nowhere near as extensive as the BP slick or that of the Exxon Valdez from many years ago, the spill still impacts those nearest to the source. Crews from Plains Pipeline have been onsite dealing with the cleanup. Common problems associated with oil spills include:
- Environmental damage
- Water contamination
- Damage to real property (homes, businesses, etc.)
- Damage to personal property (items within homes, cars, etc.)
While large-scale oil spills often trigger a massive response from the oil company and its insurer related to property damage claims, smaller spills like this can go unnoticed, leaving property owners to fend for themselves. An oil and gas attorney who handles property damage claims can help you understand your rights with respect to the oil company, gas company, an oil or gas company’s insurer and even your own homeowner’s insurance policy.
Source: Huffington Post, “Greenville, Texas Oil Spill: Plains Pipeline Leaks Northeast Of Dallas,” November 6, 2013