Demonstrators protest after President Trump announced two executive orders that would advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. On Friday, the EPA announced a settlement with the Keystone Pipeline for a Kansas oil spill in 2022 for $26 million. File Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday announced a $26 million settlement over a 2022 Kansas oil spill from the Keystone Pipeline.
South Bow LP, the owner of the pipeline, agreed to pay the penalty and make $40 million in repairs to prevent future spills, the EPA and Department of Justice said in a press release.
The company also agreed to pay Kansas $3 million to restore the environment damaged by the spill.
The pipeline leaked in December 2022 in Washington County, Kan., northwest of Topeka. The pipeline spilled more than 540,000 gallons of oil into the nearby Mill Creek and farmland. It was the largest spill in history from the pipeline, and it killed or sickened 2,700 animals.
“The substantial penalty reflects the seriousness of the environmental harm, and the other requirements of the settlement reflect the need to prioritize pipeline integrity and maintenance for this critical infrastructure,” said Jeffrey A. Hall, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
“It is important that we are all good stewards of the environment,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser for the District of Kansas said in a statement. “The incident had a massive impact on the State of Kansas, and we are happy that this settlement will mitigate that damage.”
“Dedicated EPA staff logged many thousands of hours cleaning up Mill Creek and were supported by multiple federal and state agencies,” Administrator Jim Macy of EPA Region 7 said in a statement. “This fair and comprehensive settlement represents a federal-state partnership commitment to protect our nation’s waters and prevent future oil spills.”
The Keystone Pipeline is a 2,687-mile liquid oil pipeline system connecting Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, and Port Arthur, Texas.
The Keystone XL plan was an expansion that drew the ire of environmentalists and indigenous people that was proposed in 2008. TC Energy, the developer, ended the project in 2021 when President Joe Biden revoked its permit.
