The Keystone pipeline – a target of environmental activists since before it began operating in 2010 – has leaked substantially more oil, more often in the United States than indicated in risk assessments provided to regulators. Keystone has been back in the news because of a recent spill.
Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Clipperdata says a spill last week shut the pipeline down, and the fallout will be serious.
“It’s very serious, really. From both an operational standpoint and from an environmental perspective as well,” Smith says.
More than 5,000 barrels were spilled in South Dakota from the most recent leak, according to Smith, and just over 1,000 barrels of that has been recovered from the spill site. Smith says that the spill will affect oil prices, as well as discussions about the construction of another pipeline and pipeline regulations in the future.
Learn more about the Keystone oil spill in the player above
Written by Nahila Bonfiglio.