A drilling company that failed to report an oil spill to the Blackfeet Nation and the Environmental Protection Agency could face penalties.

On June 12, a pipeline broke and leaked between 420 and 840 gallons into the Cut Bank Creek. Under federal law, FX Drilling Co. had 24 hours to report the spill once it reached a waterway.

But the tribe only found out last week when a neighboring landowner complained. Grinnel Day Chief, the director of the tribe's Oil and Gas Office, went to investigate and discovered the oil.

FX workers told Day Chief they "forgot" about the oil, The Great Falls Tribune reported. "We're doing the best we can to make this right," Andrew Pierce, the company's vice president, told the paper.

The EPA is overseeing cleanup efforts.

Get the Story:
New Mont. spill went unreported for a month (AP 7/19)
Oil pipeline leaks 15 to 20 barrels near Cut Bank Creek (The Great Falls Tribune 7/19)