A drop in pressure was detected Wednesday evening in the Keystone system, which triggered an emergency shutdown of the pipeline.
The company does not specify the volume of oil already spilled, but it says workers are on site to contain and recover the oil from the watercourse. According to the press release from TC Energy, floating dams have been put in place and the pipeline segment in question has been isolated from the rest of the network.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a statement that two of its coordinators have been sent to the scene of the spill. According to’EPA, TC Energy mobilized a team […] to begin source containment and control. There would be no impact, for the moment, for drinking water wells or for the public.
surface water [du ruisseau] Mill Creek was hit. The coordinators of theEPA supervise TC Energy operations to ensure proper cleaning and to assess the causes of the incident.
L’EPA also confirms the presence of local emergency teams on site.
The US office responsible for pipeline safety, the U.S. pipeline and hazardous materials safety administrationinvestigating the spill that happened near Washington, Kansas, a small town of 1,000 people near the border with Nebraska.
Environmental concerns
In a statement, environmental organization Bold Nebraska, which had opposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, called for stronger environmental protection laws.
1 of TCEnergy, it is essential to note that our state and counties need better laws [pour réglementer] pipelines”,”text”:”As we wait to learn the volume of oil sands and toxins like benzene that polluted our water from TCEnergy’s Keystone1 pipeline, it’s critical to note that our state and counties need better laws [pour réglementer] les pipelines””>As we wait to learn the volume of tar sands and toxins like benzene that polluted our water from TC Energy’s Keystone 1 pipeline, it’s critical to note that our state and counties need better laws. [pour réglementer] les pipelines
, said founder Jane Kleeb. The organization says it has counted 22 leaks on this pipeline since 2010.
Asked about this spill while the biodiversity summit is held in MontrealFederal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said his government was working to reduce Canada’s dependence on fossil fuels.
% of the global energy portfolio is still tied to fossil fuels […]. We can’t hope to go from 80% to 0% by snapping your fingers. It’s going to take time”,”text”:”The reality is that more than 80% of the world’s energy portfolio is still tied to fossil fuels […]. We cannot hope to go from 80% to 0% by snapping our fingers. It’s going to take time””>The reality is that over 80% of the global energy portfolio is still tied to fossil fuels […]. We cannot hope to go from 80% to 0% by snapping our fingers. That is going to take time
he explained at the microphone of the show All one morning from Radio-Canada.
Economic consequences
The Keystone Pipeline transports crude oil from Alberta to Nebraska. It then splits to go on one side to Illinois and on the other to the refineries in Texas. It is TC Energy’s main pipeline in North America.
The spill could increase the differential between the price of oil on the American market, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI), and the award received by Canadian producers, Western Canadian Select (WCS). This differential is already higher than usual.
If the shutdown is prolonged, we will enter the worst scenarios
, said energy specialist Rory Johnston. He believes that if the WCS fall, producers could choose to transport more oil by rail.
TC Energy did not say how long the pipeline could be shut down.