Media reports on keystone pipeline leakage. This is what you need to know.
Headlines this week included a mention of a massive oil leak from the Keystone pipeline, but the story is not quite as it seems.
While involving the Keystone pipeline, the leak was not from the XL pipeline, which was so hotly discussed during the Obama administration. The 383,000-gallon crude oil spill occurred in North Dakota, about 50 miles from the Canadian border, reports The New York Times. The spill covered about a half-acre of wetland, which was not near any home and was not a source of drinking water.
Karl Rockeman, director of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality's water quality division, told the Times that "It is one of the largest emissions in the state," but emphasized that the spill would not affect any residents.
TC Energy released an update on its attempt to clean up the spill, saying "The approximate size of the affected area is 2500 yd2 or less than half the size of a football field."
"We continue to inform We have provided an initial estimate that 9,120 barrels of oil were released; about half the size of an Olympic-size pool, "the company said on October 31." Our crews are still focused on oil recovery when they are planning to repair the pipeline. We will provide updates as they become available. "
It is still unclear what caused the spill. An internal investigation is underway.
Naturally, activists who opposed the Keystone XL pipeline took a victory lap after the spill was announced. Catherine Collentine, Sierra Club assistant director, told the Times that oil spills are a guarantee. [1 9659003] "We do not yet know the extent of the damage from this last tar sand spill, but what we do know is that this is not the first time this pipeline has spilled toxic tar sand and it will not be the last," she told the outlet. "We've always said it's not a matter of whether a pipeline will spill, but when, and once again, TC Energy has done the case for us."
President Barack Obama had refused an extension of the Keystone pipeline back in 2015 President Donald Trump let the construction begin when he entered the office. As the Times reported, the main pipeline has had several spills since it began operating in 2010:
This is the second largest event for the pipeline system in the last two years. In 2017, a rubbish hit a stretch of grassland in South Dakota with more than 407,000 gallons of delicious Canadian crude oil, which was nearly twice the original estimate, according to the company. The pipeline also leaked around 16,000 gallons each in spills in 2011 in North Dakota and in 2016 in South Dakota.
In addition, another oil spill 300 miles west of Edinburg, North Dakota, resulted in nearly 84,400 liters of crude oil leaking into grazing land. The pipeline responsible for this spill was operated by New Horizon Resources and not part of the Keystone pipeline.
