Keystone Pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota

The Keystone Pipeline was shut down on Tuesday after spilling 383,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota, a catastrophe that the environmental organization Greenpeace said was easy to foresee.

"I wish I could say I was shocked, but a major spill from the Keystone Pipeline is exactly what multiple experts predicted would happen," Greenpeace USA Senior Research Specialist Tim Donaghy said in a statement. "In fact, this is the fourth significant spill from the Keystone Pipeline in less than 10 years of operation. History has shown us time and time again that there is no safe way to transport fossil fuels, and pipelines are no exception."

The spill took place in Walsh County, and the pipeline's operator, TC Energy, said it is contained to 2,500 square yards, with no reports of injuries or harm to wildlife, Newsweek reports. In 2017, the pipeline leaked 407,000 gallons in South Dakota. There are plans to expand the pipeline, and environmental groups have long argued that the government did not fully consider how this would hurt communities along the way and the climate. Donaghy said that over the last decade, pipeline spills in the United States have resulted in 20 deaths, 35 injuries, and $2.6 billion in costs.

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