Did Global Climate Change Abet the Yellowstone River Oil Spill?

by: saindenver

Sat Jul 09, 2011 at 10:13:02 AM MST

The theory is that climate change is causing unusual flooding. That affects pipelines that were once thought to be buried safely underground, but close to river banks. Investigators into the Yellowstone spill have attributed that reason for the 42,000 gallon leak that is mucking up an area of the beloved national park in Montana.
...
Unusual river flooding causes more severe erosion around river banks, exposing buried objects at a faster than expected rate. Rocks and boulders knocked loose by the flooding can bash against pipelines and knock holes in them, causing massive spills. It's just this kind of incident that investigators suspect caused the Yellowstone oil spill.

However, one would have to be able to show that warming is responsible for the flooding and not a within-norms wet year.  I think it's something that should be investigated and questioned when we discuss warming and the effects on our lives.  

If it is, there is going to be some pretty heavy investment in shoring up pipelines and other transportation-related industries and those will bring jobs. So, there is something positive about all this, too.