Ice hampers oil spill cleanup in Yellowstone River; residents report smell, taste of oil in water Meanwhile, according to the Billings Gazette Monday morning, some Glendive residents are reporting the smell and taste of oil in their drinking water. The city water plant has stopped drawing water from the Yellowstone River as a precautionary measure. The EPA is taking samples at the water plant and at residences where people reported the smell and taste of oil in their water. "We took samples this morning that are going to the lab in Billings. We'll have data back by tomorrow," said Paul Peronard, with the EPA. Results should be available earlier than that from tests that are being conducted now at the water plant and area homes, Peronard said, though the spot test results aren't as definitive as the Billings lab analysis.

Source: The Dickinson Press GLENDIVE, Mont. -- Truckloads of water are being brought into Glendive after a spill of close to 1,200 barrels of oil, roughly 50,000 gallons, has officials concerned about the town’s water supply. Montana officials have notified Sidney, Mont., and Williston, N.D., both downstream from the leak, and municipal water systems there are being tested for contamination, too, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Monday evening that elevated levels of hydrocarbons have been found in Glendive’s water supply.

Cleanup workers cut holes into the ice on the Yellowstone River near Crane, Mont. on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015 as part of efforts to recover oil from an upstream pipeline spill that released up to 50,000 gallons of crude. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Photo with this caption and article is at KSN.com here.

Cleanup after "unfortunate incident" in Yellowstone BILLINGS, Mont. -- Montana officials said Sunday that an oil pipeline breach spilled up to 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, but they said they are unaware of any threats to public safety or health. The Bridger Pipeline Co. said the spill occurred about 10 a.m. Saturday. The initial estimate is that 300 to 1,200 barrels of oil spilled, the company said in a statement Sunday. Some of the oil did get into the water, but the area where it spilled was frozen over and that could help reduce the impact, said Dave Parker, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Bullock.

Glendive is north east of Billings, MT. Yellowstone Park itself is quite a bit south west of the spill location, but that doesn't make it okay!

More info:

U.S. Pipeline Breach Spills Oil Into Yellowstone River

Not to worry, right folks? I mean, it's no biggie. Last time there was a solar panel accident, it destroyed all the flora, fauna, and human settlements for miles around. It could take centuries to recover from that awful sun spill!

Oh, wait.



Creative Commons licensed photo of Yellowstone River, Yellowstone Park by carolinabio.

Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline

OK, so what does this have to do with Keystone, you ask? This says it all:



More info about the Keystone route available at National Geographic

Join 350.org and stop the Keystone XL and on the eve of the SATU, click here and Tell President Obama: Stop Keystone XL!



Activists Rally Across The U.S., Calling On White House To Reject Keystone XL

by Katie Valentine Posted on January 13, 2015 at 4:54 pm The final decision on Keystone XL rests with President Obama, who is expected to decide after the State Department determines whether or not the pipeline is in the country’s national interest. If approved, Keystone XL would total 1,179 miles and could carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada’s tar sands regions to refineries in the Gulf Coast and Midwest each day. A study last year found that the pipeline could result in four times more greenhouse gas emissions than the current State Department estimate, and President Obama has said that he would only approve Keystone XL if the project wouldn’t “significantly exacerbate” the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.

Big Block of Cheese Day.

Big Block of Cheese Day is a perfect opportunity to get active. Please do.







So be sure to visit WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU to watch the State of the Union address on January 20, 2015 at 9 p.m. ET and check out the schedule of all the ways you can engage on the following day, January 21. We camembert to think you'd miss it. All day: Share your questions on Tumblr now using the ask box

Post your questions in the comments on Facebook with #AskTheWH

Post a photo or video with your question on Instagram with #AskTheWH 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET: Climate, Energy and Conservation Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz - @ErnestMoniz Special Assistant to the President for Energy & Climate Change - @Utech44 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell – @SecretaryJewell Department of Interior - @Interior Environmental Protection Agency - @EPA Department of Energy - @Energy

Yellowstone Park Creative Commons licensed photo by Dollen



Creative Commons licensed photo by Bill Gracey, Evening Along the Yellowstone River. (Yellowstone Park)

Glendive, Montana and Yellowstone River. Creative Commons licensed photo by J Brew

The Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, as seen from Interstate 90. Creative Commons licensed photo by Tim Evanson



Makoshika State Park Just south of Glendive, MT. Creative Commons licensed photo by Brett Whaley



Makoshika Sunrise

This is in Makoshika State Park just outside of Glendive, MT one summer morning. Creative Commons licensed photo by Ben