Investigation begins after Canadian pipeline spills oil in US Kansas

• After more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, one of the largest crude spills in nearly a decade, Canada’s TC Energy shut its Keystone pipeline in the US
• The cause of the leak, which is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010, occurred in Kansas
• Kellan Ashford, spokesperson for EPA Region 7, which includes Kansas, said the cause of the leak was still unclear

WASHINGTON, Kansas: After more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, one of the largest crude spills in nearly a decade, Canada’s TC Energy shut its Keystone pipeline in the US.

The cause of the leak, which is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010, occurred in Kansas some 20 miles (32 km) south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is unknown, and it is unclear how long the closure will last.

In a statement, the US Environmental Protection Agency said, “There have been no effects on drinking water wells or the public.”

Kellan Ashford, spokesperson for EPA Region 7, which includes Kansas, said the cause of the leak was still unclear, adding the oil company had mobilized 100 people to respond to the spill, while the EPA had dispatched two coordinators.

In a release, TC said that after alarms went off and system pressure dropped, Keystone shut the line at around 8 p.m. CT on December 7.

According to US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration data, this would be the largest crude oil leak since a Tesoro pipeline leaked more than 20,000 barrels of oil in North Dakota in October 2013.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is also investigating the leak, which occurred near Washington, Kansas, which has a population of around 1,000 people.

According to Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration data, since it became operational in June 2010, there has been seven Keystone spills, with the largest being in December 2017 when more than 6,600 barrels spilled in South Dakota.

In a statement, Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust, said, “It is troubling to see so many failures and so much oil spilled from any pipeline, but it is especially troubling from such a relatively new pipeline.”