Roughly 5,000 barrels of oil, or about 210,000 gallons, spilled from the Keystone pipeline on Thursday in South Dakota, sending cleanup crews and emergency workers to the remote northeast portion of the state.
The spill, near Amherst, S.D., comes just days before regulators in neighboring Nebraska decide whether to grant the final permit needed for construction to begin on a different pipeline proposal, the Keystone XL, which would be operated by the same company. An announcement in Nebraska is expected on Monday.
The pipeline company, TransCanada, said in a statement that the leak was detected around 6 a.m. local time on Thursday. That portion of the pipeline “was completely isolated within 15 minutes,” the company said, and the pipeline was shut down. The cause of the leak was under investigation.
An official at the sheriff’s office in Marshall County, S.D., said she could not answer questions about the spill and referred calls to TransCanada. A spokesman for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety also declined to comment.
“TransCanada appreciates the collaborative support of local officials, emergency response personnel and commissioners in Marshall County, as well as the landowner who has given permission to access land for assessment, identification and cleanup activities,” the company said in its statement.
New York Times – Mitch Smith & Julie Bosman – 11.16.2017
Posted by: Nelson Bailey
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