Owners of pipeline knew about defect for years

The Keystone pipeline burst near the Kansas-Nebraska border late last year, spilling almost 13,000 barrels of oil onto farmland and a creek. A study shows the company that owns the pipeline overlooks warning signs and lacked appropriate safety controls.

By

State News

May 22, 2023 - 1:32 PM

Workers clean up at the site of the oil spill from the Keystone pipeline near Washington, Kansas, in December 2022. Photo by (Environmental Protection Agency)

Owners of the Keystone pipeline knew a defect had formed years before the strain finally caused the pipeline to burst and flood a Kansas creek with oil last year. 

The Keystone pipeline, owned by TC Energy, burst near the Kansas-Nebraska border late last year, spilling almost 13,000 barrels of oil onto adjacent farmland and into Mill Creek. 

It was the largest spill since the pipeline started operating a decade ago and larger than all the others combined. While the December spill was the most severe, it was caused by a manufacturing defect that worsened under stress, like most earlier breaches.

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