transcanada oil accidents
Keystone Alberta to Texas Pipeline Project under Scrutiny after Oil Accidents
Ever since the British Petroleum (BP) Gulf oil spill and the rising of gas prices, the oil industry has been under public and government scrutiny, according to Reuters. This does not bode well for the still-unapproved TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project that would transport oil from Canada to Texas, crossing through Oklahoma and five other U.S. states along the way. Multiple oil accidents, in Alberta and along the Keystone pipeline system, have raised questions on the pipeline’s safety, its environmental impact, and whether or not it is ultimately in the nation’s best interests.
The most recent TransCanada oil accident occurred in southern North Dakota along the first phase of its Keystone pipeline system. A valve broke at a pumping station releasing approximately 500 barrels of Canada heavy crude into the facility, and also caused a geyser of oil that reached above the treetops. This occurred only 10 months after the pipeline began carrying bitumen from the oil sands mines in Alberta to refineries in Illinois. The local landowner notified emergency personnel about the geyser of crude oil but TransCanada had apparently already shut down the line. This marks the 11th reported accident at stations along the Keystone pipeline since May 21, 2010.
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