On the 16th of November in 2017, the Keystone
Pipeline spilled what was initially reported to be 210,000 gallons of crude oil
onto the farmlands of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Nearly doubling the initial amount,
it actually dumped 407,000 gallons as of April 7, 2018, costing TransCanada
(the owners) $9.57 million. The Keystone is a pipeline that carries crude oil
more than 2,500 miles from Alberta, Canada to Illinois and Texas. In the past
eight years, this has been the seventh largest onshore spill of an oil or petroleum
product.
 |
| Try this on for size- 407,000 gallons of crude oil spilled across the farmlands of Aberdeen, SD. (borrowed from globalnews.ca) |
Early on November 16th, a TransCanada employee
detected a pressure drop, and no more than three minuets later they began to
shut down the line. The leak is thought to have occurred due to mechanical
damage regarding the weights that are installed on the pipeline to prevent the
line from floating in areas that are prone to changing water levels. Additionally,
this specific pipeline has a permit that allows it to operate at higher stress
levels. With this, the company is supposed to watch it closer than those
operating normally. Ignorance is not confirmed to be the reason for the spill,
but it is under investigation. Regardless of the cause, 407,000 gallons of oil
spilled and there could be environmental repercussions. When oil spills
anywhere it can potentially affect animals and fish; causing loss of habitat,
affect organism functions, and possibly change an entire ecosystem due to the
toxins emitted. Furthermore, the oil can sink into the ground affect the water
we drink. For this spill, 170 people worked to clean it up within 12 days to
have it up and running again, and was said to not have caused water issues.
 |
| This diagram shows how oil spills affect an entire ecosystem. Even if it starts on land in a rural area it will ultimately affect a variety of organisms and ecosystems. (Borrowed from noaa.gov) |
In today’s society, the transportation of fossil fuels is
inevitable. The average American family has 2.28 cars- meaning that there is a
great need for fuel resources. To supply the demand, this pipeline was created
to bring oil directly from Canada to the U.S. It was built in 3 Phases, and the
4th Phase has only been proposed. Phase 4, Keystone XL, was halted
during the Obama Administration when strong opposition surfaced from Native
American Tribes and environmentalists especially, but the Trump Administration
has made moves toward approving it, regardless of opposition. The benefit of
the XL addition would be that our dependence on Middle Eastern supplies would
decrease. The disadvantage, though, is that it’s planned to pass through
environmentally vulnerable land, and through the heart of Tribal lands, as
established before 1868 in an agreement.
 |
| This map shows exactly where the pipeline goes, and where the Keystone XL is proposed to go. (Borrowed from wikipedia) |
This incident hits close to home for me-
literally. I go to school in South Dakota, and have family in the area. Spilled
oil can affect an area for many years following and the environmental factors
are frightening. I understand the need for pipelines, but it’s sad to see harsh
reality that they bring. The original spill was scary, but the new number is
alarming. This needs to be highlighted to help make Americans aware that their
actions affect more than just themselves- they affect wildlife, the
environment, and generations to come.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/24/keystone-xl-pipeline-environmentalists-tribes-prom/
Comments
Post a Comment