The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is siding with Exxon Mobil in the company's appeal of a fine and safety measures ordered by a federal regulatory agency after a company pipeline burst in 2013 and spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into a central Arkansas neighborhood.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the chamber filed a friend-of-the-court brief this week saying the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration revised its pipeline regulations only after the oil spill. The brief says that allowing the order to stand would make companies "think twice" before investing in future pipelines and adversely affect the national economy.
Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co also wants the court to overturn a $2.6 million fine. The safety administration is to respond by Sept. 16.
