Root Cause Of Keystone Failure Released

By Gordon HopkinsOn Friday, April 21, 2023, TC Energy, the company formerly known as TransCanada, released a statement identifying the root cause of a pipeline failure that led to an estimated 12,937 barrels of crude oil being dumped into Mill Creek, three miles east of Washington, Kansas, and approximately 20 miles south of Steele City, on December 7, 2022.Root Cause“The primary cause of the rupture was a progressive fatigue crack that originated at a girth weld connecting a manufactured elbow fitting to the pipe constructed across Mill Creek. This girth weld transitioned the pipe wall thickness from the elbow fitting to the adjacent piping and was completed at a fabrication facility. The RCFA confirmed the welding workmanship was compliant with applicable codes and standards,” the statement said. “During construction, the pipe segment was subject to inadvertent bending stresses sufficient to initiate a crack at a shallow lack of fusion feature in the girth weld. Bending stresses during construction also led to a deformation in the elbow fitting and a wrinkle in the adjacent piping. Further, the design of the weld transition created a stress concentration point, making the pipe at this location more susceptible to bending stresses. This resulted in the initiation of a circumferential crack in the weld, which led to failure through operations after over a decade.”In February of this year, TC Energy released the initial findings of the investigation into the cause of the oil leak, blaming a weld flaw and bending stress.Pipeline PressureTC Energy’s statement also said, “The report notes that throughout its operational history, the Milepost 14 segment operated below its temperature and pressure design limits; this section of the Keystone system has never operated above 72 percent Specific Minimum Yield Strength (SMYS).”However, on April 30, 2007, PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) issued a “Special Permit” to the company to allow a portion of the pipeline to operate at a higher pressure of 80 percent of specified minimum yield strength (SMYS).FJN asked TC Energy why this segment of the pipeline never went above 72 SMYS when the company had a permit allowing 80 SMYS. A representative for the company responded, “The asset is permitted to operate at 80 SMYS but as confirmed by this segment never operated above 72 SMYS.”Cleanup ProgressesThe site of the Keystone Pipeline oil spill is now 79 percent cleared, according to a representative of the EPA (Environment Protection Agency), who told FJN, “172 of 216 operational areas of Mill Creek have been cleared.”“The clearing of Operational Areas is indicative of the clean-up progress being made. The spell of good weather has been very favorable in recent weeks which has allowed for this progress to occur,” the EPA representative noted. “The next stage of operations will focus on disposal of oil-impacted soil, sediment, and potentially water.”TC Energy reported, “We have made significant progress on our remediation and, to date, recovered 98 percent of the released product and cleaned up 90 percent of the Mill Creek shoreline.”LandfillsThe EPA reports, “All wastes generated during the cleanup are being sampled for characterization and transported for disposal at appropriate off-site facilities.”Much of the oil-contaminated soil from the spill site is being transported to the Pheasant Point Landfill in Bennington, Nebraska, owned by Waste Management (WM) Solutions.Until recently, TC Energy has been running an estimated 100 trucks or more a day hauling dirt between Kansas and Nebraska. However, at a recent meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, it was observed by Commissioner Mark Schoenrock that the number of trucks on the road had seemed to decrease, although the road was still being heavily used.That does not mean cleanup operations are slowing down. Pheasant Point is owned by Waste Management (WM) Solutions, which, also owns a landfill in Topeka, Kansas; Rolling Meadows. According to Lisa Disbrow, a spokesperson for WM, “Pheasant Point is still receiving solid waste materials from this project. As TC Energy has increased the daily volumes from the cleanup project, some of this additional volume is being disposed at WM’s Rolling Meadows landfill. Both sites are about the same travel distance from the customer’s location.”The EPA representative said, “The oil-impacted soil going to two locations isn’t indicative of cleanup operations.”As of last week, WM reported Pheasant Point has received 52,148 cubic yards of waste and Rolling Meadow has received 1,219 cubic yards.According to the EPA, “Restoration is currently in the planning phase and immediately upon completion of the Operational Areas being cleared, response crews do plan to start the restoration process in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”Truck AccidentTransportation of the dirt has not been without incident. At approximately 10:09 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, Gage County Deputies were dispatched to the scene of a reported single vehicle non-injury accident. According to the sheriff’s office, “Ryan Ratute, 23 years old from Papillion Nebraska was driving a Western Star semi pulling a side-dump trailer full of dirt.”FJN has confirmed that the dirt came from the oil spill site.The sheriff’s office reported that the driver was attempting to turn north onto Highway 112 from eastbound Highway 8. As Ratute made his turn the load shifted, causing the trailer to roll onto its side along with the semi. Highway 112 was shut down for several minutes during the investigation.Per the sheriff’s office, “Ryan did not report any injuries and was wearing his seatbelt.”TC Energy, the company that owns and operates the Keystone Pipeline, told FJN, “On Tuesday morning, a contractor truck hauling solidified sediment from the Milepost 14 site turned over. Safety of personnel and the community is our leading priority. No life-threatening injuries were sustained, and we are supporting the driver and our contractor partner.“Environmental specialists and clean-up contractors responded to the scene where the load was contained and recovered. Regulators and the county were immediately notified. The cleanup has been completed, with no impact to the area. We are working with our contractors to implement enhanced safety measures to support the safe transportation of the soil.”According to County Supervisor Don Schuller, neither he nor Highway Superintendent Mark Kuhnke knew about the trucks, “I was not aware the trucks were traveling through Gage County.”

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