Washington, Dec. 14 (BNA): Local officials in Kansas said, citing a recent meeting with TC Energy Corp.
There is still no official timeline for restarting the main pipeline between Canada and the United States, which was shut down after a leak of nearly 14,000 barrels of crude was discovered last week in Washington County, Kansas, Reuters reports.
“They told us they expected to be here for several more weeks,” said Randy Hubbard, Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator. “They didn’t specify what that was.”
The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said TC Energy has yet to submit a restart plan. Operation of the affected portion of the line cannot resume until regulators approve the plan to fully restart, according to a US Department of Transportation document.
The 622,000-bpd Keystone line, which ships heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to US refineries in the Midwest and Gulf Coast, has been given special permission to operate at a higher rate than any other crude line in the US, and has been doing so since 2017.
The Canadian company delayed restarting the pipeline section that runs to Illinois by four days to Dec. 14 after restart efforts were delayed by bad weather. The Keystone Pipeline splits off at Steele City, Nebraska. One man serves refineries in the Midwest, while the other extends to the Gulf Coast.
TC Energy said it has not yet determined the cause of the leak and that an investigation is underway. Vandalism has been ruled out, Kansas State Representative Lisa Moser said in an online post.
The EPA said more than 300 people from TC, EPA, and state and county agencies are at the site.
Workers have recovered nearly 2,600 barrels of oil and water from Mill Creek, which is not connected to a drinking water source, according to the TC.
Washington Commissioner Raleigh Ordoin said the TC cleanup effort has exceeded expectations.
“At a time when no one stands behind their product, or no one is held responsible for their actions or wrongdoing, TC Energy came in and took over the business,” Ordoin said.
“They have shoes on the floor 24/7 and I can’t imagine this cleaning process going any better.”
Moser said vacuum trucks continue to suck oil from Mill Creek, but the skimmers used to collect surface water are not working as well because of the low temperatures.
The spill directly affects five of the landowners, Moser said, while nine other landowners have staging areas for TC workers on their properties, adding that all fourteen are receiving compensation.
TC said it placed multiple booms downstream of the release point to contain the oil from movement and that the oil did not breach the containment area.
It rained in Washington County on Tuesday but clear in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
TC said the precipitation did not have a negative effect on containment at the site.
“They’re using big equipment in the muddy fields, so it’s definitely going to slow things down,” Hubbard said.
FAE