GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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TransCanada shuts down Keystone pipeline after oil seeps to surface
http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/04/04/news/transcanada-shuts-down-keystone-after-oil-seeps-surface
Alberta-based TransCanada Corp has shut down its Keystone pipeline after crews spotted oil near a pump station in South Dakota, the company said in a statement on Monday.
The company, Canada's second largest pipeline operator, said the "potential incident" was first reported on Saturday afternoon.
"TransCanada immediately began the process to shut down the pipeline, activate its emergency response procedures and dispatch ground crews to assess the situation," said the company in a statement. "Crews initially found visible signs of oil on a small surface area."
News of the oil seeping to the surface could be inconvenient for TransCanada, which is now trying to convince communities across Canada to accept its proposal for a gigantic new pipeline infrastructure project — the 4,600-kilometre Energy East pipeline.
The chairman of the South Dakota watchdog, Chris Nelson, confirmed that there was a spill from Keystone, and that state environmental officials were overseeing the cleanup. In a brief phone interview, he told National Observer that a member of the public may have been the one that discovered the spill.
"My understanding is that it was a passerby that observed it and called the company," said Nelson, chairman of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.
If confirmed, this would mean that the company's leak detection system failed to identify the incident.
Nelson also said that the company gave the commission an early estimate of the amount of oil that was spilled. But he added that there would not likely be a firm number available until the company digs up and excavates the line.
"I've seen a particular figure, but I have no idea if it's accurate or not," Nelson said. "Obviously there is an (environmental) impact to the soil where the leak occurred."
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