TC Energy States Keystone In-Creek Oil Recovery Complete

By Gordon HopkinsA redacted report about last year's Keystone Pipeline failure was made public this week. Meanwhile, a recently released statement from TC Energy, the company formerly known as TransCanada, indicates recovery of oil released into Mill Creek, three miles east of Washington, Kansas, has been completed.The statement reads, in part, “We have completed the in-creek recovery of the discharged oil, with oversight conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment. This milestone reflects our crew's collaboration and innovation over the last few months, applying sophisticated recovery and water filtration techniques to support the product collection.”Restoration ActivitiesThat does not mean the job is done.The statement only refers to “in-creek” oil recovery. The company expects to remain on site until the third quarter of 2023. Per TC Energy, “We continue progressing with restoration activities along the Mill Creek shoreline, and environmental monitoring is ongoing.”A pipeline failure led to an estimated 12,937 barrels of crude oil being released into Mill Creek on December 7, 2022.Ongoing restoration activities include transporting oil impacted soil and other wastes from the spill site to Pheasant Point Landfill in Bennington, Nebraska, and Pheasant Point Landfill in Topeka, Kansas. Both are owned by Waste Management (WM) Solutions.In addition, “clean” soil from Steele City is being taken to the site of oil spill to replace the oil-contaminated soil that has been removed and shipped to the landfills. The spill site is approximately 20 miles south of Steele City, a key junction for the Keystone Pipeline.According to a statement from TC Energy, “We are transporting additional soil to the site to support backfilling excavated areas and the management of temporary berms at the Milepost 14 site. The soil is sourced from a separate facility, and testing has validated it as a clean source of subsoil and topsoil.”Last year, after the Keystone XL Pipeline cancellation but before the leak, TC Energy began preparations for the construction of three oil tanks in Steele City. In October of 2022, a representative with TC Energy advised FJN, “All activities will occur within TC Energy owned land. The area of development is approximately 30 acres.”This is the source of the “additional soil” being sent to Kansas.A representative of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) explained.“This soil is also being used for the dams and in the creek to dam off the water so cleanup of the creek banks and bottom can be performed.”Report on Pipeline FailureOn Friday, April 21, 2023, TC Energy released a statement identifying the root cause and failure analysis (RCFA), “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 240-page report was prepared by RSI Pipeline Solutions. A copy of the report, redacted by TC Energy, was made available to the public on May 15 of this year. The report notes, in part, “The study concluded that there was no indication that the pipeline leak was caused by excessive bending strain or pipeline movement between the 2013 and 2018 surveys. This conclusion further supports the hypothesis that the bending strain had to be introduced during construction – there was no change in the bending strain because it had already been imparted to the pipe prior to the 2013 IMU (inertial measurement unit).”Jefferson County Commissioners have estimated that, until recently, at least 100 trucks a day are traversing the road between Washington, Kansas, and Steele City.That road has been severely damaged by the traffic and commissioners are in negotiations with TC Energy to replace the road.

Election Officials Still Waiting for Direction on Voter ID

Canadian Wildfires Lead to Air Quality Alerts for Nebraska

Related Articles

Legislative Session Ends Without Passing Property Tax Package

Wymore Receives Grant To Demo Gambles Building

Should Flood Buyout Properties Be Taxed?

Proposed Fairbury Parking Ordinance On Hold