Washington County Road Department in 2022 Washington County, Conn. The U.S. is building an emergency dam to prevent an oil spill after the Keystone Pipeline ruptures in Mill Creek. (Kyle Bauer/KCLY/KFRM Radio via Associated Press)
key takeaways:
- Trump Administration, Kansas and South Bow settle alleged Clean Water Act violations linked to the 2022 Keystone Pipeline leak.
- The breach caused the spill of approximately 13,000 barrels of oil in Washington County, Kan., including crude that entered Mill Creek and affected 2,700 animals.
- South Bow agreed to pay more than $26 million in fines, fund containment work and contribute more than $3 million to restoration.
The Trump administration and the state of Kansas have reached a settlement with the owner and operator of the Keystone Pipeline over alleged Clean Water Act violations stemming from a 2022 oil spill.
The Kansas Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency announced on July 10 that South Bow LP and South Bow Infrastructure Operations agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $26 million and work to prevent future spills, which the companies estimated would cost $40 million. The companies will also contribute more than $3 million to Kansas for natural resource restoration.
In December 2022, the Keystone Pipeline ruptured in Washington County, Kan., leaking approximately 13,000 barrels of oil, some of which entered Mill Creek. according to ComplaintAn inch of crude oil covered the bay at least 3 miles downstream from the breach site, and the spill affected more than 2,700 animals.
“The oil spill covered land and water, leaving waterways lifeless and unusable and requiring extensive cleanup and remediation,” said Jeffrey A. Hall, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The substantial fine reflects the severity of the environmental harm, and the other requirements of the settlement reflect the need to prioritize pipeline integrity and maintenance for this critical infrastructure.”
The Keystone Pipeline covers more than 2,000 miles from Hardisty, Alberta, to Port Arthur, Texas.
South Bow said it has already completed “comprehensive environmental remediation” at the site of the rupture in February 2024, inspected more than 2,100 miles of the Keystone pipeline system and completed more than 70 integrity verification excavations. “We are committed to working closely with regulators and are focused on continuous improvement, transparency, environmental stewardship and the safe and reliable operation of our pipeline network,” company spokeswoman Sarah Hunter said.
