FromAlbum4

Oh sure, Exxon claims they’ll “cover all costs” resulting from their turning Mayflower, Arkansas into Muck City…but c’mon. At a certain point, they’re going to take advantage ofone of the most insane loopholes imaginable and probably cite something like “fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders” for walking away from this black eye…just like they walked away from Alaska after permanently fouling Prince William Sound.

The central Arkansas spill caused by Exxon’s aging Pegasus pipeline has reportedly unleashed 10,000 barrels of Canadian heavy crude – but a technicality says it’s not oil, letting the energy giant off the hook from paying into a national cleanup fund.

Legally speaking, diluted bitumen like the heavy crude that’s overrun Mayflower, Arkansas, is not classified as ‘oil’. And it’s that very distinction that exempts Exxon from contributing to the government’s oil spillage cleanup fund.

All that’s missing is Shrub in a flight-suit and a Mission Accomplished banner.