Gov. Doug Burgum received an update Thursday from TC Energy President and CEO Russell Girling regarding efforts to clean up oil that leaked from the company’s Keystone pipeline in northeast North Dakota.
The estimated volume of the release reported to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) was 9,120 barrels. The incident occurred about 3 miles northwest of Edinburg on Tuesday, Oct. 29, and was reported the same day. The release impacted a wetland area but the NDDEQ has not identified any impacts to drinking water.
TC Energy is working to determine the cause of the spill. Personnel from the NDDEQ are on site and will continue to monitor the investigation and remediation.
“We’ve received assurance from TC Energy that it will continue to work in full cooperation with the NDDEQ to clean up and remediate the site as thoroughly and quickly as possible,” Burgum said after the phone call with Girling, other TC Energy representatives and DEQ Director Dave Glatt. “We also urged the company to review its pipeline inspection and monitoring programs to ensure pipeline integrity. The health and safety of our citizens will remain our top priority throughout this process.”
Burgum also encouraged Girling and TC Energy to join the Intelligent Pipeline Integrity Program (iPIPE). The industry-led consortium works together on developing and demonstrating emerging technologies to prevent and detect pipeline leaks. It was formed in response to a challenge Burgum made to industry in May 2017 to work toward eliminating pipeline leaks by thinking outside the box and applying new technology.