In Kansas, crews contain largest-yet breach of Keystone Pipeline
The oil spill near Washington, Kansas, prompted operators to shut down an extension of the pipeline, which brings Canadian tar sands crude to U.S. refineries.
The operator of the Keystone Pipeline System, which carries a form of crude oil from Canada to multiple states for refining, said over the weekend that its largest breach yet has been contained for now.
The pipeline failure 3 miles east of Washington, Kansas, on Wednesday caused an estimated 14,000 barrels of crude, or 588,000 gallons of a form of crude known as tar sands oil, to spill into Mill Creek, a natural waterway, according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the U.S. Transportation Department.
The administration has ordered the affected section of pipeline, about 160 miles north of Wichita, closed until corrective action can be completed.
TC Energy, the Canadian parent of day-to-day pipeline operator TC Oil, said in a statement Saturday that the spill was no longer moving downstream. It mobilized 250 crews to handle cleanup and has deployed booms and vacuum trucks to stop the oil, the company said.
The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Saturday, "The discharge has been contained, and no drinking water has been impacted."
The failure along a 96-mile segment in parts of Washington County, Kansas; Clay County, Kansas; and Jefferson County, Nebraska, renews concern over pipeline safety after the demise of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline project.
The proposed pipeline, which would have carried Canadian oil sands to Nebraska, polarized political leaders, who mostly lined up to either kill it or make way. It was thwarted by the Obama administration, renewed by President Donald Trump and nixed by President Joe Biden. TC Energy withdrew its plans last year.
more:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kansas-crews-contain-largest-yet-breach-keystone-pipeline-rcna61196
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