The power company that manages the pipeline did not say what caused the leak or how much oil was released.
The Keystone pipeline has suspended operations following an oil spill in a river in the US state of Kansas. The pipeline carries more than 600,000 barrels of oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast every day.
Canada-based TC Energy said in a press release that it shut down the pipeline Wednesday night in response to a pipeline leak. The company has not yet released details on the extent and cause of the leak.
“The system remains shut down while our crews quickly respond and work to recover the oil,” he said.
The spill sent oil into a river in northeast Kansas and the company said it was using machinery to keep the oil from continuing downstream. Pipelines have long fueled concerns that the oil could deteriorate.
Another pipeline proposed by TC, the Keystone XL pipeline, would be 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) long and pass through US states such as Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
The proposal drew strong opposition from advocates who said it would increase the risk of loss, undermine Indigenous rights and harm climate change.
Former President Donald Trump approved an illegal construction permit in 2017 but a court halted construction in 2018 before the permit was revoked by President Joe Biden’s administration last year.
TC eventually abandoned the project in June 2021 but filed a claim seeking compensation for the losses it allegedly suffered as a result of the suspension.
The spill occurred on Wednesday a few years after the Keystone pipeline dropped about 1.4m liters (383,000 gallons) in eastern North Dakota in 2019.
As word of the suspension spread on Wednesday, oil prices rose nearly 5 percent.
“It’s something to watch, but not what’s going on right now,” said Patrick De Haan, head of fuel research at GasBuddy, which tracks gas prices, according to the Associated Press. “It could also affect the oil supply to refiners, which could be a problem if it lasts for a few days.”
In their statement, Keystone said their main goal was “the health and safety of our employees and co-workers, the surrounding community, and to reduce the risk to the environment by sending the booms downstream while we work to protect and prevent further migration” .
Previous Keystone spills have led to shutdowns that have lasted up to two weeks. However, experts have found that this suspension may last longer as it involves more water.
