Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Exxon Mobile has agreed to pay $12 million in damages to compensate for a pipeline break that spilled 63,000 gallons of oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River and required a months-long cleanup effort. A U.S. Department of Transportation investigation into the 2011 spill found that Exxon had ignored warnings that the pipeline was at risk. Court approval of the settlement announced Wednesday is pending before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby. The $12 million is meant to make up for the harm caused to wildlife and that damage done to an 85-mile stretch of the river. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox said about $4.7 million would go toward restoring the shoreline, and an additional $3.6 million would be used to restore the wildlife habitat. The state of Montana will get $9.5 million from the settlement, while the federal government will receive $2.5 million.