“The systems remain down as our crews actively respond and work to contain and recover the oil,” the statement said.
The spill caused oil to leak into a creek in northeastern Kansas, and the company said it used motors to stop the oil from moving further downstream. The pipeline has long raised concerns about the potential for a damaging oil spill.
Another pipeline previously proposed by TC, the Keystone XL pipeline, will be 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) long and will cross the US states of Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
The proposal has drawn stiff opposition from advocates who say it would increase the likelihood of spills, undermine the rights of indigenous peoples and exacerbate climate change.
Former President Donald Trump approved a permit for the controversial project in 2017, but courts halted construction in 2018 before the permit was overturned by President Joe Biden’s administration last year.
TC eventually abandoned the effort in June 2021, but has since filed a claim for damages it allegedly suffered due to the cancellation.
Wednesday’s spill comes several years after the Keystone Pipeline leaked about 1.4 million liters (383,000 gallons) of oil into eastern North Dakota in 2019.
When news of the shutdown spread on Wednesday, oil prices rose about 5%.
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“It’s something to watch, but not necessarily an immediate impact just yet,” said Patrick De Haan, head of oil analysis at GasBuddy, which monitors gasoline prices, according to The Associated Press. . “Ultimately, this could have an impact on oil supply to refineries, which could become serious if it lasts for more than a few days.”
In its statement, Keystone said its primary objective is “the health and safety of staff and personnel on site, the surrounding communities, and the mitigation of environmental risks through the deployment of a boom downstream as we work to contain and prevent further release migration.”
Previous Keystone spills have resulted in outages lasting up to two weeks. However, analysts noted that the current shutdown could possibly last longer as it involves bodies of water.
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