Pipeline breach spills crude oil on Crow Reservation

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Authorities say a breached oil pipeline has spilled an undetermined amount of crude on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana.

Vernon Hill with Crow Disaster and Emergency Services says the spill was discovered earlier this week by a rancher checking his cows in a remote area several miles east of Fort Smith.

Hill says crude oil could be seen on top of the soil in a deep ravine covering an area about 15 yards wide and 100 yards long.

Hill says the underground pipeline could have been leaking since winter without being noticed beneath the snow.