Roommates, do you guys remember when President Trump signed a permit that approved the construction for the Keystone XL back in March? It will be an expansion of the Keystone Pipeline which will carry about 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska and then join other pipelines that transport to other refineries in the United States.
The #StandingRockSioux and other protesters were against the construction as there were risks of oil leaks which would contaminate their few clean water sources and defile their sacred lands. President Obama had actually halted the construction before he left office, but, you know, Donnie happened.
Fast forward to today, this has become an unfortunate reality. The #TransCanada crew shut down the #KeystonePipeline after an oil leak was detected about 35 miles south of a pumping station in Marshall County, South Dakota. It has been estimated that about 5,000 barrels of oil or roughly 210,000 gallons of oil leaked underground making it the largest leak in South Dakota according to Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
They are unsure if there is any groundwater contamination at this time although some oil has surfaced to the grass. “It is a below-ground pipeline but some oil has surfaced above ground to the grass,” Walsh said. “It will be a few days until they can excavate and get in borings to see if there is groundwater contamination.”
TransCanada says it is working with state regulators and the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to assess the situation.
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on IG, @tallyohhh on Twitter
Source: http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/360777-keystone-pipeline-shut-down-after-spilling-5000-barrels-of-oil-in
