Keystone Pipeline restarted in Kansas county following massive oil spill

The Keystone Pipeline is once again operational in Washington County, Kansas, weeks after the pipeline leaked roughly 14,000 barrels of oil into a creek in the area.

TC Energy, the pipeline’s operator, announced Thursday afternoon that it had once again begun running oil through the section of the pipeline in northern Kansas that leaked even though the cause of the leak is still unknown.

The plan to restart the pipeline, the company said in a news release, was approved by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

In accordance with an order from PHMSA, TC Energy is currently investigating the cause of the spill and will report its findings, and remedial actions, to the agency.

“The pipeline system will operate with additional risk-mitigation measures, including reduced operating pressures. We maintain our commitment to our ongoing safety-led response and will fully remediate the incident site. We will share the learnings from the investigation as they become available,” the release said.

The pipeline has been shut down in the region since the spill on Dec. 7, which dumped enough oil to spill around 43.5 standard swimming pools into Mill Creek. It is the largest spill in the history of Keystone, which runs from Canada to Texas.

While the cause of the spill isn’t known it prompted a federal review of a special permit that allowed the Keystone to operate at higher pressures than is recommended for crude oil transport.

Last week, TC Energy said it sent the “impacted pipeline segment” to a lab for testing.