TC Energy is making progress in its response and recovery concerning the pipeline failure that discharged crude oil Dec. 7 on the Keystone Pipeline system located three miles east of Washington, Kan.
TC Oil Pipeline Operations Inc., was ordered to take certain corrective actions through the Corrective Action Order issued Dec. 8 by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, the order said.
“We are monitoring and investigating the Keystone Pipeline leak first detected Weds night,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Dec. 9 post on Twitter. “Our Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a Corrective Action Order requiring a shutdown of the affected segment, analysis of the cause and other safety measures.”
In a Dec. 12 update, TC Energy said the company is focused on response and recovery.
“As of today, we have recovered 2,598 barrels of oil and water from the creek,” TC Energy’s update said. “The creek does not connect to a source of drinking water. Vacuum trucks and our crews are operating around the clock to drive this effort and multiple booms are set up downstream of the release point to contain the oil from moving downstream; oil has not breached the containment area.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a Dec. 9 news release no drinking water wells or the public were affected by the leak at the time. However, Mill Creek’s surface water was affected.
“Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community and mitigating risk to the environment,” TC Energy said in a Dec. 8 update. “We immediately activated our emergency response procedures and we have established environmental monitoring, including around-the-clock air monitoring. Our response efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site.”
