Keystone pipeline leaks worsen: US data

CALGARY-

U.S. government data shows spills from TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone pipeline. have increased in severity in recent years.

The Calgary-based company has more than 250 people on the ground in Washington County, Kansas, to clean up some 14,000 barrels of oil that spilled into a creek last week.

The spill is the largest in the history of the 4,324 km Keystone pipeline.

A report from the US Government Accountability Office last year said pipelines are considered much safer than transporting oil by truck or rail, and Keystone’s safety record since 2010 is similar to that other crude oil pipelines.

But the report also says Keystone’s safety record over the past five years is worse than the national average. In addition to last week’s spill, the pipeline experienced leaks in 2017 and 2019.

TC Energy has yet to report the cause of last week’s spill. The Keystone pipeline system remains closed and no restart date has been set.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on December 12, 2022.