News media has reported that Keystone pipeline in South Dakota had a failure and that it spilled more than 200,000 gallons of oil. The system that operates it, has now been shut down. In a statement released on Thursday by TransCanada, the company that operates the pipeline, they said that approximately 5,000 barrels of oil were leaked in Marshall County, South Dakota.
News reports say oil was dumped in Marshall County SD, which (not surprisingly) crosses a reservation line. And they wonder why we protested so much over #DAPL pic.twitter.com/BaSGuSvjsX
— Lana B ³³º¹ (@LanaB) November 16, 2017
If you take into account that a single barrel of oil holds 42 gallons and 5,000 of this were spilled, we’re talking about at least 210,000 gallons released on the agricultural lands. TransCanada has said that the spill “was completely isolated within 15 minutes and emergency response procedures were activated.
.@TransCanada noted that the leak occurred in a grassy field in Marshall County in South Dakota and did not effect water sources. That grassy field, though, sits above a freshwater aquifer. #PipelinesLeak #NoKXL
— Lakota People's Law Project (@lakotalaw) November 16, 2017
“Crews, including TransCanada specialists from emergency management, engineering, environmental management, and safety as well as contracted, nationally recognized experts are assessing the situation”. An official with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources by the name of Brian Walsh assured KSFY ABC that the leak was discovered on November 16 around 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, he predicts that cleanup will take some time.
Ugh seriously? First the US is again allowing import of trophy hunted elephants (an ENDANGERED SPECIES) and now an oil spill in South Dakota? #NoKXL #WaterIsLife https://t.co/93y2QOhYfx
— Kimiko #BLM #ListenToNativeVoices Love Martinez (@kimiko_martinez) November 16, 2017
TransCanada said that the pipeline was shut down at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday’s early morning because of a drop in pressure. The section of the pipe that failed was approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of the Ludden pump station in Marshall County. At the moment no reports of the oil making its way through waterways or water systems has been presented. TransCanada has released a statement on the issue.
BREAKING: Keystone pipeline reportedly spills 210,000 gallons of tar sands oil in South Dakota: https://t.co/3D90v8AhX5
— NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC) November 16, 2017
“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 clean-up activities.
We have been keeping our shippers and customers up to date and have communicated that the pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma and to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois is expected to remain shut down as we respond to this incident. This does not affect the Marketlink pipeline system, which uses the facilities of the southern leg of the Keystone system from Cushing to the Gulf Coast.
The safety of the public and environment are our top priorities and we will continue to provide updates as they become available.”
This event comes in six months after President Donald Trump gave the Keystone XL pipeline its key federal permit to operate, almost two years after former President Obama had rejected the same project.
https://twitter.com/bcmerchant/status/931283846292652033
Article inspired by BuzzFeed News // More Than 200,000 Gallons Of Oil Have Spilled Along The Keystone Pipeline