Keystone Pipeline ran at heightened pressure before Kansas oil spill, cause still unknown [View all]
BY NATALIE WALLINGTON AND KATIE BERNARD
UPDATED DECEMBER 14, 2022 3:42 PM
A special exemption from 2017 allowed the Keystone Pipeline to operate at pressures above the standard for crude oil transport, a report from the federal government shows. The exemption is receiving new scrutiny following last week’s oil spill in northern Kansas, the largest in the pipeline’s history.
The cause of last week’s record-breaking oil spill is still unknown, but some activists and a state lawmaker are highlighting a need to learn more about this exception to run the pipeline at higher pressure.
“We know that the pipeline has been plagued by inherent problems associated with its original materials or installation, and sustaining greater pressure or continued corrosion over time can only make this problem worse,” Kansas Sierra Club lobbyist Zack Pistora told The Star in an email.
A 2021 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report states that the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) permitted certain segments of Keystone to operate at 80% of the maximum recommended pressure, as long as it meets certain safety criteria. Normally, pipelines cannot operate above 72% of this pressure.
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