The Keystone Pipeline in Marshall County, South Dakota leaked 210,000 gallons of oil on Thursday, CNN reports. Now the site of the largest Keystone oil spill in South Dakota, the pipeline was shut down on Thursday morning in order for authorities to investigate why the leak occurred. Authorities later said that the leaking section was experiencing a drop in pressure. The spilled amount is equivalent to about 5,000 barrels of oil.
“It is a below-ground pipeline but some oil has surfaced above ground to the grass,” said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for South Dakota’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “It will be a few days until they can excavate and get in borings to see if there is groundwater combination.”
A total of 210,000 gallons of oil leaked from the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota, according to the pipeline’s operator, TransCanada.
The spill involved the equivalent of about 5,000 barrels of oil. https://t.co/BKnVfskRrT pic.twitter.com/HRv7CJvBar
— CNN (@CNN) November 16, 2017
This affected stretch of the pipeline includes land in Alberta, Oklahoma and Illinois. While pipeline operator TransCanada has promised that it values the well-being of both the environment and the surrounding public, Greenpeace has interpreted the spill as a sign that the planned Keystone XL Pipeline, which is meant to reach into Nebraska, shouldn’t be further approved. According to NBC News, the leak happened only four days before Nebraska officials planned to vote on officially approving the pipeline’s extension into the state.
THREAD: The #KeystonePipeline‘s last spill (yes, this has happened before) was 300 gallons and took months to clean up.
Today’s was a whopping 210,000 gallons. #NoKXL @TransCanada https://t.co/hIivvKVl3m
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) November 17, 2017
President Donald Trump and his administration first approved the Keystone XL Pipeline in March. Criticism of the construction plans focuses on the the pipeline pumping more greenhouse gases and cutting through a large underground deposit of fresh water. The affected land also traces back to Native American heritage.
This is the third pipeline spill in South Dakota this year.