BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The operator of the Keystone oil pipeline restarted the system Monday after a spill onto farmland in North Dakota last week shut down the line. Read More
Lower oil prices due to tariff issues helped mute challenges from the pipeline shutdown on gas prices
Lower oil prices due to tariff issues helped mute challenges from the pipeline shutdown on gas prices
Article content
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The operator of the Keystone oil pipeline restarted the system Monday after a spill onto farmland in North Dakota last week shut down the line.
Article content
Article content
South Bow said it was watching inclement weather conditions before beginning “a carefully controlled restart” that will include 24/7 monitoring, reduced operating pressures, cleanup of the site and compliance with federal regulators’ requirements. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said South Bow restarted the pipeline at a reduced pressure.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The failed section was dug out and replaced and will be taken to a metallurgical lab in Houston for testing, while the repaired pipeline will be tested at different pressures to ensure its integrity, PHMSA said.
Article content
Noon News Roundup
Article content
The agency’s investigation is ongoing. It is unclear what caused the spill.
Article content
Repairs finished, Keystone pipeline restarted with restriction on Canadian sections
Article content
Article content
The company said it has finished all repairs, inspections and testing at the spill site. PHMSA said it signed off on the company’s restart plan.
Article content
South Bow also said it will put certain pressure restrictions on the pipeline’s Canadian sections, and has shared those details with Canadian regulators.
Article content
The company’s update did not mention a cause of the spill, though the company said it would share investigation findings when available. An employee heard a “mechanical bang” and shut down the pipeline within two minutes, a state spill response official previously said.
Article content
The spill is estimated at 3,500 barrels, or 147,000 gallons. Vacuum trucks had recovered 1,170 barrels of crude oil, or 49,140 gallons, as of early Friday, according to PHMSA.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The spill occurred in a field north of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, a tiny town in a forested area known for scenic views and outdoor recreation.
Article content
The 2,689-mile (4,327 kilometers) Keystone Pipeline carries crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas.
Article content
The pipeline was shut down from Alberta to points in Illinois and a liquid tank terminal Oklahoma, though the line remained open between Oklahoma and Texas’ Gulf Coast, according to a map from South Bow.
Article content
Lower oil prices due to tariff issues helped mute challenges from the pipeline shutdown on gas prices, though diesel prices could still inch up, said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at the University of Houston.
Article content
Gas prices have fallen in almost every state in the last week due to the oil price drop resulting from the tariff and trade war concerns, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, which tracks gas prices.
Article content
“I wouldn’t have expected this to really have much of an impact anyway, but with oil prices actively having plummeted over the last week, yes, I would say that the decline was more than offset,” he said.
Article content