BLOG: Keystone Pipeline Leaks 210,000 Gallons Of Oil

Evan Popp
Nov 18, 2017
2 min read

The Keystone pipeline, owned by TransCanada, leaked on Thursday, resulting in the spilling of 210,000 gallons of oil in northeastern South Dakota. The northern parts of the oil pipeline, which spans from Canada across the Great Plains, were closed following the spill.

The incident comes just days before a decision regarding the Keystone pipeline's proposed partner project, the Keystone XL pipeline. On Monday, Nebraska's Public Service Commission is set to decide whether to provide a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which has been delayed for years in part due to concerns over its environmental impact. However, under Nebraska law, the panel is not allowed to consider things like spills and leaks when making its decision.

Still, environmental activists have responded to the Keystone pipeline spill by framing it as a reason why the Keystone XL pipeline should not be approved.

“This disastrous spill from the first Keystone Pipeline makes clear why Keystone XL should never be built,” Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity told The Washington Post. “Trump’s issuance of a permit for Keystone XL is a farce that will only lead to more pollution for people and wildlife.”

Others voiced their opinion on Twitter.

While there doesn't yet seem to be an estimate of the environmental damage the leak will cause, it's never good for the environment when hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spill.

But the most important takeaway from this incident is that relying on oil pipelines is unsustainable. These types of oil spills will likely continue in the future, as seen by how often they've occurred in the past. The Center For Biological Diversity has documented the rate of oil spills in the past as well as the impact of these spills. The Center found:

Since 1986 there has been an average of 76,000 barrels worth of oil spilled per year from pipeline leaks.
In that time period, there have been almost 8,000 oil pipeline incidents — about 300 per year.

This shows that if we're serious about living in an environmentally sound country, we have to stop using pipelines that ferry a dirty energy source and are virtually guaranteed to, at some point, leak oil into the ecosystem. To respond to the Keystone pipeline incident with anything other than a call to move away from the use of pipelines is simply environmentally irresponsible.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Patrick