USDOT issues corrective action order for Keystone Pipeline spill
Published by Elizabeth Corner,
Senior Editor
World Pipelines,
The US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a Corrective Action Order (CAO) to South Bow, which directs the operator to take specific actions to improve the safety of the Keystone Pipeline after a crude oil release was discovered on 8 April 2025, in Ransom County, North Dakota.
“PHMSA has already secured the operator’s full cooperation and written commitment to take any steps necessary to repair the line and identify the cause of the failure,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman. “Multiple PHMSA investigators are on the ground in North Dakota and in the operator’s control room facility in Calgary working to determine the cause of the accident.”
The CAO requires the operator to submit the failed section of pipe to a third-party lab for mechanical and metallurgical testing. The operator must also conduct and submit a root cause failure analysis and review all inline inspection reports from the past 10 years to identify anomalies that may be present in the failed pipe, adjacent joints, or anywhere else on the system. PHMSA reserves the right to amend the CAO as needed as the investigation proceeds.
The Keystone pipeline was built to the specifications of a special permit that allows the line to operate at higher-than-normal pressures. PHMSA ordered the maximum operating pressure to be reduced following a December 2022 crude oil release in Washington County, Kansas. The CAO requires an evaluation of the special permit to determine if additional or modified conditions are necessary to prevent similar incidents.
The affected pipeline segment cannot be restarted until PHMSA gives the operator permission.
PHMSA’s investigation is ongoing. You may review the provisions of the CAO and other updates related to this incident here.
Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.
World Pipelines’ April 2025 issue
The April 2025 issue of World Pipelines includes a keynote article on Europe’s midstream sector, and technical articles on pipeline construction, cathodic protection, damage and defect assessment, and pipeline integrity. Also included: a major feature on pipelaying and vessels, with contributions on offshore pipelay, subsea umbilicals and emergency pipeline repair.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/regulations-and-standards/14042025/usdot-issues-corrective-action-order-for-keystone-pipeline-spill/
You might also like
World Pipelines Podcast: Going global with IPLOCA
In this episode, Elizabeth Corner speaks to Georges Hage, Executive Secretary at IPLOCA, about IPLOCA's insights on the culture and characteristics of the pipeline contractor community, and how it works to support sustainable energy infrastructure.
Energy industry faces short-term instability, yet remains optimistic about long-term prospects, DNV report reveals
The energy industry is braced for short-term uncertainty caused by global instability, but remains optimistic in the long-term, according to DNV’s annual Energy Industry Insights survey.
