Oil Pipeline Breach Fouls Yellowstone River

A pipeline running underneath the Yellowstone River ruptured and dumped up to 1,000 barrels of oil into the river in Montana that runs from the national park of the same name into North Dakota. It's fouled a 25 mile stretch and it will be up to Exxon Mobil to clean up the mess (they operate the pipeline).

An Exxon Mobil spokeswoman, Pam Malek, said the pipe leaked an estimated 750 to 1,000 barrels of oil for about half an hour before it was shut down. Other Exxon officials estimate up to 42,000 gallons (158,982 litres) of crude oil escaped.

Duane Winslow, Yellowstone county director of disaster and emergency services, said the plume was dissipating as it moved downstream.

"We're just kind of waiting for it to move on down while Exxon is trying to figure out how to corral this monster," Winslow said.

"The timing couldn't be worse," said Steve Knecht, chief of operations for Montana disaster and emergency services. "With the Yellowstone running at flood stage and all the debris, it makes it dang tough to get out there to do anything."

He said the plume was measured at 25 miles near Pompeys Pillar national monument.

Montana Jury Finds Bat Maker Liable In Child's Death

I had reported on a similarly sad story previously, but a jury in Montana found against the maker of Louisville Slugger, Hillerich and Bradsby, which was ordered to pay $850,000 to the family a child that was struck by a ball hit using a Louisville Slugger aluminum bat.

Hillerich and Bradsby has been ordered to pay $850,000 to the family of 18-year-old Brandon Patch. The teenager was killed during a 2003 baseball game after being struck in the head by a batted ball off an aluminum bat while pitching during an American Legion game in Helena, MT.

The Patch family argued aluminum bats are dangerous because they cause the ball to travel faster than those hit off wooden bats. They said Brandon did not have enough time to react after the ball was hit.

Although the jury did award the Patch family money saying that H&B failed to place warning labels on the aluminum bats, they also said the bat was not defective.

I expect that H&B will appeal the verdict, primarily on grounds that the bat was not defective and also that warnings would not have changed the outcome.

Moreover, I expect the costs from any changes made as a result of this suit to be passed on to the end users - whether it is the phasing out of aluminum bats in favor of wooden bats (of which there are concerns over maple bats and the fact that they shatter when they split), and/or the higher replacement costs for wooden bats compared against aluminum bats that reduce operating costs for Little Leagues, plus higher insurance costs for playing.

The verdict sets a dangerous precedent for the bat maker and other baseball bat manufacturers who produce aluminum or composite bats.

It also raises red flags for Little Leagues and others engaging in organized baseball activities since they too could be liable for injuries sustained through the use of the aluminum bats.

Name That Party: Montana Legal Edition

Practicing without a license is bad enough. Being the chief counsel to the Democratic governor of Montana and practicing without a license while being accused of unethical conduct by interfering with a legal proceeding. That's criminal.

Who vetted him in the first place?