Latest news with #BillSuess
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Keystone pipeline restarted after oil spill near North Dakota community
Keystone pipeline restarted after oil spill near North Dakota community Show Caption Hide Caption Oil spills: Lasting impacts of some of the biggest in U.S. history Here are three of the most historic oil spills in U.S. history. Staff video, USA TODAY Pipeline operator South Bow restarted its Keystone oil pipeline system after a spill near a North Dakota community shut down the line for almost a week. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced on April 14 that South Bow restarted the pipeline at a reduced pressure. Earlier in the day, the company monitored inclement weather conditions before proceeding with the planned controlled restart. PHMSA approved the company's restart plan, but only under certain conditions spelled out in a corrective action order issued by the federal regulator on April 11. Several corrective actions in the order included the pressure restriction, mechanical and metallurgical testing of the failed pipe, and submission of a root cause analysis. The company, which is based in Calgary, Canada, has said it will also institute certain pressure restrictions on the Canadian section of the Keystone pipeline. The pipeline shut down on April 8 after an oil spill occurred near Fort Ransom, a community about 80 miles southwest of Fargo, North Dakota. In an update on April 14, PHMSA said the failed section of pipe was excavated and replaced. The failed pipe will be sent to a metallurgical lab in Houston for testing while the repaired line will be "tested at various pressures to confirm its integrity," according to PHMSA. "PHMSA investigators remain on site, and our investigation is ongoing," the regulator said in the update. "PHMSA will continue to monitor the operator's compliance with the (corrective action order)." 'We will not back down': Greenpeace ordered to pay more than $660M for Dakota Access Pipeline protests Keystone oil spill estimated at 3,500 barrels Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead that an employee heard a "mechanical bang" and shut down the pipeline within two minutes. Suess said the employee noticed oil surfacing in a nearby field. Following the incident, South Bow reported that it began a shutdown and response at about 7:42 a.m. local time on April 8 after "control centre leak detection systems detected a pressure drop in the system." The system was shut down at 7:44 a.m., the company said in a statement. The company noted that the affected segment was isolated and the release had been contained. The Keystone pipeline was pumping about 17,844 barrels of oil per hour when a part of the pipeline ruptured, spilling an estimated 3,500 barrels, or 147,000 gallons, onto agricultural land, according to Reuters. More: Why a pipeline project in Houston is raising concerns over environmental racism Federal regulator details pattern of spills from Keystone pipeline The Keystone pipeline spans nearly 2,700 miles and is a major channel for crude oil supply from Alberta, Canada, to U.S. refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma, and along the Gulf Coast. In the corrective action order issued by PHMSA, the regulator detailed previous leaks and spills from the Keystone pipeline. Between 2016 and 2022, PHMSA documented at least five accidents involving the Keystone pipeline. A 2021 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office also found 22 spills from the pipeline between 2010 and 2020, according to Reuters. "The spills of 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022, which resulted in reported releases of 400, 6,592, 4,515, 442, 12,937 barrels of crude oil, respectively, show a tendency or pattern in recent years of increasingly frequent incidents resulting in larger releases," the corrective action order states. PHMSA also noted that the April 8 rupture looked similar to another one on the same pipeline in North Dakota in 2019, in which about 4,515 barrels of crude oil were leaked. Initial findings of PHMSA's investigation showed that the failed pipe in both incidents was manufactured by the Berg Steel Pipe Corporation. Contributing: Chris Mueller, Sioux Falls Argus Leader; Reuters
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keystone oil pipeline ruptures in North Dakota; spill under investigation
The Brief A Keystone Pipeline rupture was reported near Fort Ransom, North Dakota, around 7:44 a.m. The cause is unknown, but the pipeline shut down within two minutes. Oil was contained in a nearby field; the spill is under investigation. FORT RANSOM, N.D. - The Keystone oil pipeline ruptured Tuesday morning in North Dakota, with the spill confined to an agricultural field. What we know KVRR reported that the eruption happened near Fort Ransom, North Dakota around 7:44 a.m. local time. An employee working at the site near Fort Ransom heard a "mechanical bang" and shut down the pipeline within about two minutes, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Oil was reported surfacing 300 yards (274 meters) south of the pump station in a field, Suess said. Emergency personnel responded to the site, Suess said. No people or structures were affected by the spill, he said. A nearby stream that only flows during part of the year was not impacted but was blocked off and isolated as a precaution, he said. What we don't know The cause of the rupture and the volume of crude oil spilled were not immediately unclear. It's unclear at what rate the 30-inch (0.8-meter) pipeline was flowing, but even at two minutes "it's going to have a fairly good volume," Suess said. "But ... we've had much, much bigger spills," including one involving the same pipeline a few years ago in Walsh County, North Dakota, he said. "I don't think it's going to be that huge," Suess said. What they're saying "At 7:44 this morning an employee on a pump station heard what was described as a mechanical bang," Suess said in a statement to FOX Television Stationsz. "He immediately shut down the pipeline and notified emergency personnel. The release is currently confined to an agricultural field south of the pump station." "There is an ephemeral stream nearby that has been isolated," he continued. "The stream has not been impacted." South Bow, a liquid pipeline business that manages the pipeline, said it shut down the pipeline after control center leak detection systems detected a pressure drop in the system. The spill is confined to an agricultural field. "The affected segment has been isolated, and operations and containment resources have been mobilized to site," the company said. "Our primary focus right now is the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating risk to the environment." What's next The size and cause of the spill are under investigation, according to the outlet. The backstory The Keystone Pipeline was constructed in 2010 at a cost of $5.2 billion and carries crude oil across Saskatchewan and Manitoba through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri to refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma. Though the pipeline was constructed by TC Energy, it is now managed by South Bow as of 2024. An extension of the pipeline, Keystone XL, was proposed in 2008. According to FOX News, the pipeline has been at the forefront of political debate since the project began construction in 2010, and was eventually halted by former President Barack Obama before it was finished. Trump revived it during his first term. However, former President Joe Biden ordered the pipeline cancelation via executive order on his first day in office in January 2021, leading to thousands of job losses. TC Energy, the operator of the Keystone XL pipeline, ultimately gave up on the project in June 2021 as a result of Biden's decision to cancel its federal permits. Then, in 2023, a federal judge tossed a legal challenge from nearly two dozen states asking the court to reinstate the pipeline's permits. The pipeline had been scheduled to be completed in early 2023 and would transport an additional 830,000 barrels of crude oil from Canada to the U.S. through an existing pipeline network, according to TC Energy. It was also projected to create thousands of jobs, many of which would have been union jobs. In January, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, Canada, said that she was interested in talking to the Trump administration about potentially reopening the pipeline project. The Source FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from local reports, including KVRR. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keystone pipeline shut down after rupture
The Keystone oil pipeline was shut down Tuesday morning after a rupture in North Dakota halted the flow from Canada to U.S. refineries. South Bow, which manages the pipeline, said it was shut down after a pressure drop was detected by the control center leak detection systems, The Associated Press reported. 'The affected segment has been isolated, and operations and containment resources have been mobilized to site,' the company said. 'Our primary focus right now is the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating the risk to the environment.' The spill was contained to an agricultural field in the area, and no people or structures were impacted, but the cause for the rupture was not immediately known. Reports said the oil was surfacing 300 yards from the pump station in a field, and emergency services responded. Bill Suess, a spill investigation program manager with North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality, told the AP that an employee heard a 'mechanical bang' and shut down the pipeline within minutes. He noted there was a 'fairly good volume' spilled but there have been 'much, much bigger spills' in the past and he did not think it was going to be 'that huge.' South Bow has managed the pipeline, which was built in 2010, since last year. There were plans to expand the pipeline, dubbed Keystone XL. But they were dropped by the Biden administration after it drew criticism from environmentalists. President Trump has recently called for the completion of the controversial pipeline. The Associated Press contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keystone Pipeline in N.D. shut down after reports of 'bang,' spilled oil in field
April 8 (UPI) -- The Keystone Pipeline in North Dakota was shut down Tuesday morning after reports of a "bang" and spilled oil, according to officials. In the hours before 7:45 a.m. local time, an employee at a pump station "heard what was described as a mechanical bang," Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality, told CBS. The cause of the ruptured pipe and the volume of spilled oil was not immediately clear. He added that the unidentified employee then shut down the pipeline and notified emergency personnel and it was then isolated with containment resource deployed to the area. A shutdown was initiated after a control center leak detection system displayed a pressure drop in its system, according to liquid pipeline company South Bow, which has managed the pipeline since last year. South Bow officials said the burst occurred near Fort Ransom at Milepost 171 in the southeast corner of the state. Crude oil was spewed over an agricultural field some 300 yards south of the pump station. According to reports, no structures or human life was impacted by the spill. "Our primary focus right now is the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating risk to the environment," the company said, adding it was making "appropriate notifications to our regulators, landowners and customers." The nearly 3,000-mile-long Keystone Pipeline went online in 2011 and transports crude oil to the United States via Canada running through North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Oklahoma. Since 2017 it has experienced at least three sizable oil spills, the largest of which in 2022 spilled roughly 14,000 barrels into a Kansas creek. Later, federal lawmakers sought answers. In February 2023, Calgary-based TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, announced in its initial findings a massive Keystone Pipeline oil spill in northern Kansas was caused by a combination of factors, including bending and a weld flaw. A separate 2019 incident in North Dakota spilled more than 383,000 gallons which covered an estimated half-acre of wetland. The proposed pipeline extension to carry oil further to the Gulf Coast was shut down under the Biden administration in 2021. Now, President Donald Trump seeks to expand oil drilling even in protected areas. "Easy approvals, almost immediate start!" Trump wrote weeks ago on social media.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Keystone oil pipeline shut down after a rupture in rural North Dakota
The nearly 2,700-mile Keystone oil pipeline was shut down Tuesday morning after it ruptured in North Dakota, halting the flow of thousands of gallons of crude oil from Canada to refineries in the U.S. South Bow, a liquid pipeline business that manages the pipeline, said it shut down the pipeline after control center leak detection systems detected a pressure drop in the system. The spill is confined to an agricultural field in a rural area, about 60 miles southwest of Fargo. 'The affected segment has been isolated, and operations and containment resources have been mobilized to site,' the company said. 'Our primary focus right now is the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating risk to the environment.' The pipeline transported an average 624,000 barrels per day in 2024, according to Canadian regulators. It stretches 2689 miles (4327 kilometers) from Albert, Canada, to Texas. It wasn't clear what caused the rupture of the underground pipeline or the amount of crude oil released into the field. An employee working at the site near Fort Ransom heard a 'mechanical bang' and shut down the pipeline within about two minutes, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Oil surfaced about 300 yards (274 meters) south of the pump station in a field and emergency personnel responded, Suess said. No people or structures were affected by the spill, he said. A nearby stream that only flows during part of the year was not affected but was blocked off and isolated as a precaution, he said. The Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is sending a team to investigate the cause of the leak. Fort Ransom is in a hilly, forested area of southeastern North Dakota known for scenic views. It's unclear at what rate the 30-inch (0.8-meter) pipeline was flowing, but even at two minutes 'it's going to have a fairly good volume,' Suess said. 'But ... we've had much, much bigger spills,' including one involving the same pipeline a few years ago in Walsh County, North Dakota, he said. 'I don't think it's going to be that huge,' Suess said. The Keystone Pipeline was constructed in 2010 at a cost of $5.2 billion and carries crude oil across Saskatchewan and Manitoba through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. Though the pipeline was constructed by TC Energy, it is now managed by South Bow as of 2024. A proposed extension to the pipeline called Keystone XL would have transported crude oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast, but it was ultimately abandoned by the company in 2021 after years of protests from environmental activists and Indigenous communities over environmental concerns. In December 2022, nearly 13,000 barrels of oil spilled from Keystone's line in Kansas into a creek traversing a pasture. An engineering consulting firm said the bend in the pipeline at the site had been 'overstressed' since being installed in 2010, likely because of construction activity altering the land around the pipe. TC Energy said a faulty weld in the line's bend caused a crack that exacerbated over time. ___ Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.
