On Halloween, we posted Keystone pipeline leaks again--this time in ND. Now the leak is back in the news.
James McPherson reports for the Associated Press in Land affected by Keystone pipeline leak bigger than thought:
North Dakota environmental scientist Bill Suess said the leak reported on Oct. 29 is now estimated by state regulators to have affected about 209,100 square feet (19,426 square meters) of land near Edinburg. State regulators had said the leak affected about 22,500 square feet (2,090 square meters) of land.
Calgary, Alberta-based TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, estimated its pipeline leaked an estimated 383,000 gallons (1.4 million liters) of oil. Suess said that estimate has not changed.
The cause of the spill is still unknown. An affected portion of the pipe has been sent to a third-party laboratory for inspection, as required by federal regulators.
TC Energy said the pipeline returned to service on Nov. 10 after approval of a repair and restart plan by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
The company has not given an estimate on the land that was affected, Suess said. The initial estimate by state regulators was “a quick and dirty look at it,” he said. “We did have some surface expansion since then.”
The company reported late Sunday that it had recovered about 337,550 gallons (1.2 million liters) of oil, along with 141,834 gallons (536,900 liters) of oily water, Suess said.
Cleanup crews and state regulators remained at the site on Monday. Some wetlands were affected, but not any sources of drinking water, he said. . . .
On Veterans Day, Gizmodo's Yessenia Funes piled on the snark in The Keystone Pipeline Is Running Again Two Weeks After Major Spill:
After spilling more than 383,000 gallons of oil last month in North Dakota, the Keystone Pipeline is back in service. The company behind this faulty-ass piece of infrastructure, TC Energy, turned the pipeline back on Sunday at reduced pressure to make sure it’s operating properly. What’s more, this is the same company behind the plan to build the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down even though its infrastructure is not immune to failure.
And that’s the problem: TC Energy can’t prevent these spills from happening, so why should it be allowed to build an even bigger project (*ahem* Keystone XL)? The growing threat of fossil fuel-driven climate change certainly doesn’t help the company’s case either. Addressing the climate crisis will require reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, so why are we expanding it? . . .
Fox Business News reports in Congress wants review of Keystone pipeline in wake of spill:
Top U.S. House Democrats have called for a federal review of the Keystone pipeline and the agency that regulates it in the wake of 383,000-gallon (1.4-million-liter) spill in northeastern North Dakota, the latest of three spills along the line in as many years.
In a letter Monday to the Government Accountability Office, the congressmen said the spills raise “serious questions” about pipeline owner TC Energy’s management of the line, and whether the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is providing adequate oversight.
"The public has a legitimate expectation that the Keystone Pipeline System managed by TC Energy operate safely and without repeated incidents that damage the environment and threaten the public’s health and security,” according to the letter signed by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Frank Pallone, of New Jersey; Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio, of Oregon; Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials subcommittee Chairman Dan Lipinski, of Illinois; and Energy subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush of Illinois.
GAO spokeswoman Sarah Kaczmarek said Tuesday that the nonpartisan watchdog agency received the congressional request and is evaluating it.
“At this point, no decisions have been made,” she said, adding that the process could “take some weeks.”
Calgary, Alberta-based TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, reported the spill in North Dakota on Oct. 29. The pipeline returned to service on Nov. 10 after approval of a repair and restart plan by the federal pipeline safety agency.
The company said in statement Tuesday that it was aware of the letter sent to the GAO.
“While each incident on our system is unfortunate, we work carefully with federal and state regulators to analyze and learn from what occurred, so we can ensure our energy infrastructure operates safely and the way it is designed,” the company said.
As we noted in our first post, TC Energy, the polluters formerly known as TransCanada, played an important part in writing South Dakota's thrown-out-of-court "Riot Boosting" law:
In South Dakota pushes bills to prosecute ‘riot-boosting’ ahead of pipeline construction, High Country News' Elena Saavedra Buckley reported in March 2019:
Two bills allowing the state of South Dakota to prosecute pipeline demonstrators and their funders — and use money from damages to fund law enforcement and pipeline costs — moved to the Senate floor on Wednesday. Introduced by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, R, on Monday, the bills would protect the 1,179-mile-long Keystone XL pipeline, a planned TransCanada project that would slice through the state carrying 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day. The Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association has opposed the bills, representing the leaders of 16 tribes in the region, none of whom were consulted for the legislation. . . .
During a press conference, Gov. Noem said the bills were meant to target out-of-state agitators, alleging that George Soros, a philanthropist and common right-wing target, was one of them. But there is nothing stopping the laws from impacting tribal nations or citizens. Unlike the tribes, TransCanada had a seat at the table as the bills took form, Noem said. The company will also contribute to the PEACE fund.
Regulatory capture. We're on it.
Photo: The Edinburg, ND, oil leak. AP.
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