CBS News reported on Tuesday that it has found evidence of construction problems on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. The news agengy “obtained warning letters written over the past two months to TransCanada from the federal agency that regulates pipelines. A September 10 letter warned TransCanada it was ‘not following their Construction Specifications’ because ‘dents on the pipe’ were found at dig sites with ‘rocky terrain.'”
Watchdog group Public Citizen on Tuesday released a report documenting 125 sites where pipe was dug up. Its report notes problems like dents or patches applied to coatings to stop corrosion — issues that if not repaired can lead to leaks.
Watch the full CBS News report below:
New warnings of potential problems with Keystone pipeline
CBS Nightly News reported yesterday on construction problems along Keystone XL’s southern segment that have resulted in approximately 700 feet of pipeline being replaced. Public Citizen found more than 125 excavations in 250 miles of possible “anomalies” on pipe that had been buried for months, including dents, sags and other problems that could lead to spills or leakage of toxic tar sands crude.
Despite TransCanada’s often-cited talking point that Keystone XL will be one of the “safest pipelines ever built,” CBS obtained multiple warning letters sent to TransCanada from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), including one that noted a “high weld rejection rate” and cited a stretch of pipeline where nearly 50% of welds required repairs.
This isn’t TransCanada’s first time laying faulty pipeline or crossing paths with PHMSA. In a 2006 pipeline risk assessment, TransCanada predicted fewer than two spills would occur on the original Keystone pipeline during a 10-year period. But in fact, that pipeline leaked 14 times in its first year of operation, including major spill sin North Dakota and Kansas.
After TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline had recurring leaks and spills, PHMSA mandated a shut-down of the pipe and issued a “Corrective Action Order” with a long list of demands for TransCanada to put in place before their line was allowed to start again.
TransCanada continues to demonstrate that it is “Unfit to Build”, and we continue to note the high risks that landowners must take in exchange for the Keystone XL export pipeline.
The President cannot in good conscience burden families along the pipeline route with these significant risks, all for a pipeline that will increase carbon emissions, create only a handful of permanent jobs, and help to ship oil overseas.
This shocking CBS Nightly News report reminds us that Keystone XL is all risk, no reward.
For more information, contact Rachel Wolf at 202.331.2120 or wolf@newpartners.com
