Big Spill in Little Falls

A pipeline accidentally spilled 134,000 gallons of crude oil in Little Falls, MN, officials from Koch Pipeline Co. said on July 7-- exactly twice the damage originally estimated, when the rupture occurred on June 27.

At the time the Wedge Newsletter went to press, the cause of the rupture was still being investigated. The St. Cloud Times reported that gouges on the pipeline suggest something external was to blame. Jim Andrew, director of compliance for Koch, based in Wichita, Kan., said a backhoe could have damaged the pipeline, according to The Times.

Koch operates Minnesota Pipe Line Co., which has plans to build a pipeline across Gardens of Eagan Organic Farm.