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Keystone Pipeline Ruptures and Spills Unknown Amount of Crude Oil Near Fort Ransom, North Dakota [1]
['Nora Harren']
Date: 2025-04-08 12:53:45-07:00
In the last decade the troubled South Bow pipeline, previously operated by TC Energy, has spilled over 1 million gallons of crude oil into sensitive ecosystems throughout the country leading to over $700 million in cleanup costs and damages.
Bellingham, WASHINGTON – [April 8, 2025] – The spill off the 30-inch pipeline in southeastern North Dakota, comes less than three years after the Keystone pipeline ruptured and dumped 543,354 gallons or 12,937 barrels of crude oil into a creek and onto generational family farmlands in Washington County, Kansas.
In the last six years, Keystone has ruptured in the state of North Dakota four times alone, spilling at least 4,515 barrels of crude oil. And, on Nov. 16, 2017, in Amherst, South Dakota, located about 75 miles from Fort Ransom, ND, the pipeline spilled 6,592 barrels of crude oil due to a fatigue crack likely originating during the pipeline’s installation.
Throughout its history the Keystone pipeline has been plagued by a list of manufacturing and construction issues leading to failures. So much so, that in 2021 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report documenting these instances. The report stemmed from lawmakers requesting an inquiry after two large crude oil spills off the pipeline in 2017 and 2019.
In its report the GAO concluded that preventable construction issues contributed to Keystone Pipeline spills more frequently than other pipelines. It also determined that Keystone’s largest spills were “caused by issues related to the original design, manufacturing of the pipe, or construction of the pipeline.”
In 2024, the federal pipeline regulator, Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released its investigation into the Dec. 2022 failure in Kansas and determined that the pipeline had failed due to the rupture of a circumferential girth weld that came from a fabrication facility.
“Keystone’s incident history illustrates the problematic pipeline’s systemic issues.” Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said.
At this time, the cause of the spill in Fort Ransom, ND has yet to be determined; it is also unknown when the pipeline will be restarted. The Keystone Pipeline, a 2,700-mile system, is a major pipeline that can move more than 600,000 barrels of crude every day. The young pipeline already has a long history of failures; including 13 significant incidents in the 15 years since its operation began.
“The Keystone pipeline appears to be on track to hit its average of about a significant failure every year.” Caram said. “It’s time to address this pipeline’s shortcomings.”
A Timeline of Ruptures, Spills and Incidents on the Keystone Pipeline
July 24, 2014
Location: Jefferson County, Texas
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $9,552
April 2, 2016
Location: Hutchinson County, South Dakota
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $9,068,339
2Barrels Spilled: 400
December 27, 2016
Location: Caroll County, Missouri
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $45,137
November 16, 2017
Location: Marshall County, South Dakota
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $44,809,560
Barrels Spilled: 6,592
October 20, 2018
Location: Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $1,501,008
February 6, 2019
Location: Saint Charles County, Missouri
Cause: Incorrect Operation
Damages: $8,904,336
October 29, 2019
Location: Walsh County, North Dakota
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $39,278,447
Barrels Spilled: 4,515
April 3, 2020
Location: Ransom County, North Dakota
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $176,758
May 7, 2020
Location: Jefferson County, Texas
Cause: Corrosion
Damages: $3,636,378
August 23, 2020
Location: Seminole County, Oklahoma
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $165,552
October 22, 2020
Location: Nelson County, North Dakota
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $265,903
December 7, 2022
Location: Washington County, Kansas
Cause: Rupture – Circumferential Girth Weld Failure
Damages: $600,793,659
Barrels Spilled: 12,937
August 22, 2023
Location: Jefferson County, Texas
Cause: Equipment Failure
Damages: $3,810,768
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About Pipeline Safety Trust: The Pipeline Safety Trust is a nonprofit public watchdog promoting pipeline safety through education and advocacy by increasing access to information, and by building partnerships with residents, safety advocates, government, and industry, that result in safer communities and a healthier environment.
For More Information Contact: Kenneth Clarkson, Communications Director - *protected email*
Download the full press release
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[1] Url:
https://pstrust.org/keystone-pipeline-ruptures-and-spills-unknown-amount-of-crude-oil-near-fort-ransom-north-dakota/
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