Keystone Pipeline Burst Shows Continued Risk of Oil Reliance

Fargo, ND - A major burst and spill of 3,500 barrels of oil on the Keystone pipeline Tuesday marks the 23rd spill from the pipeline in its 15 years of operation. The North Dakota Sierra Club fought the pipeline at its inception and have repeatedly warned weak building materials and leaking pumping stations pose a threat to public safety, water resources and agricultural land. Reporting since that time has confirmed concerns over flaws in the pipeline's initial design. 

The burst follows layoffs and budget cuts through federal agencies that monitor pipeline safety. 

Jasmine Vazin, Deputy Director with the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign said: 

"The news of this spill is devastating, but also completely unsurprising for the communities sounding the alarm for decades about the dangers of the Keystone pipeline. The Trump administration is making cuts to pipeline safety workers as rural communities across the country are left to clean up the mess. We're seeing in real time complete control given to the oil and gas industry to pollute with impunity while driving up prices for working families. If we want to protect our communities from pricing volatility, pollution and environmental disasters we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels." 

Gas prices are expected to rise as the pipeline is repaired. Keystone dumped 14,000 barrels of oil in Washington, Kansas in 2022. Despite appearances that North Dakota is an oil and gas state, many local communities, Tribes and activists have organized to resist pipeline expansions. Recent legislative efforts to ban eminent domain on carbon pipelines have shown impressive bipartisan support to protect agricultural land.