BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Earlier this month, the Keystone Pipeline spilled 3,500 barrels of crude oil onto agricultural land, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Federal employees with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have since removed the damaged part of the pipeline to analyze and determine the cause. That could take a month or more, but in the meantime, the pipeline is flowing again, and much of the spilled oil won’t be going to waste.
“So far, they recovered 3,110 barrels of oil. Of that, they have injected 2,433 barrels back into their line. So, that’s reusable oil as crude oil. They have 1,538 barrels in storage on the site,” said NDDEQ Spill Investigation Program Manager Bill Seuss.
The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality is in charge of cleanup and is executing a “dig and haul,” meaning they will dig out all the impacted soil and move it to a landfill.
So far, they estimate they have removed 20,000 tons of dirt and have about 20,000 more to go.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.