In brief: Montana oil pipeline breach located
GLENDIVE, Mont. – A company responsible for a Montana oil pipeline spill said the breach in the line has been located directly beneath the Yellowstone River.
Up to 50,000 gallons of crude were released in the spill.
Bridger Pipeline spokesman Bill Salvin said Tuesday a mechanical inspection of the damaged line revealed a breach about 50 feet from the river’s south shore.
Salvin said bubbles were seen rising to the river’s surface after nitrogen was pumped into the line as part of the inspection.
Officials previously didn’t know whether the spill happened beneath the iced-over river or somewhere on the riverbank.
The cause remains undetermined.
The spill occurred Saturday about 5 miles upstream of Glendive. Residents are stocking up on bottled water after a cancer-causing oil component was detected in public water supplies.
Obama to meet wife of jailed pastor
BOISE – The wife of an American pastor held prisoner in Iran said President Barack Obama will meet with her during his short visit to Idaho today.
The Idaho Statesman reported Naghmeh Abedini received confirmation Tuesday that Obama agreed to meet with her and her two young children. Earlier this week, Abedini had written an open letter to the president requesting a face-to-face meeting.
Abedini declined to reveal any other details about the meeting.
Christian pastor Saeed Abedini has been in Iranian custody since September 2012. He was given an eight-year sentence in 2013 for what was termed undermining state security when he attempted to build a church network in private homes in Iran.
The 34-year-old man is of Iranian origin but had been living in Boise.
State’s exchange gets federal grant
SEATTLE – The Washington Health Benefit Exchange is getting $27 million from the federal government to improve its customer website.
The exchange had asked for $42 million but health officials say they’ll do their best to meet their goals with less money.
The grant will be used to make Washington Healthplanfinder more stable and easier to use and add some functions, including new ways to search for doctors and adult dental coverage.
During a meeting Tuesday of the state board that manages the exchange, health officials said they will have to skip some of the “bells and whistles” they were planning to add and they will not be able to afford as much consultant help. They say their top priority remains making the website stable and offering a good customer experience.