Warren Martin, executive director, Kansas Strong, joins Jason Spiess on The Crude Life Content Network with an update on the historic oil spill in Washington County, Kansas.
According to Martin, there is no release or information on what caused the spill, but the site has been maintained and no drinking water wells have been impacted.
“The site has been contained, emergency response and company officials are all working together to ensure the spill handled,” Martin said. “No drinking water wells have been impacted, an earthen dam has been constructed so the oil can be contained and the water can continue to flow without contamination.”
According to Martin, The Keystone Pipeline spilled into a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington County, Kansas, about 150-160 miles north of Wichita.
“TC Energy has mobilized additional resources, such as vacuum trucks and oil skimmers, to support oil recovery from Mill Creek,” Martin said.
Martin said the price of oil and impact on inflation seem to be the number one issue to the locals.
“Jason I can tell you the number one concern locally here is will this impact the price of oil, because that will impact inflation,” Martin said. “When will the pipeline get back online is another concern here locally.”
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report last year said there had been 22 previous spills along the Keystone system since it began operating in 2010, most of them on TC Energy property and fewer than 20 barrels.
The total from those 22 events was a little less than 12,000 barrels, which is 2,000 less than last Friday’s spill.
Environmentalists, the media and politicians have been using this accident to attempt and advance a political narrative.
“As an industry we have always used barrels when discussing oil,” Martin said. “You see headlines now that use gallons in the story or headline. So instead of 14,000 barrels of oil, it’s something just shy of 600,000 gallons.”
Congressman Donald Payne tweeted his “watchful eye” from New Jersey.
As Congress looks to begin work on reauthorizing pipeline safety, I'm watching this situation closely to learn more about this latest oil leak and inform ways to prevent future releases and protect public safety and the environment.https://t.co/v0sKz0Dq1l
— Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (@RepDonaldPayne) December 9, 2022
TC Energy said it had set up environmental monitoring at the site, including around-the-clock air quality monitoring.
“Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment,” a company statement said.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Keystone pipeline moves about 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma, where it can connect to another pipeline to the Gulf Coast.
The interview also discussed the “energy ecumenical” work Martin has been doing with the schools and local communities in Kansas.
“I spent 4-and-a-half-hours teaching kids all about the oil and gas industry,” Martin said. “Generally when I go into a classroom, I take core samples, take rocks and talk about geology, a lot of drawing on the board to kind of map things out as we go along and try to get as many hands on activities we can to show the kids how many things are made from petroleum products.”
The Kansas Oil & Gas Resources Fund, better known as Kansas Strong, is a nonprofit organization voluntarily funded by oil and natural gas producers in Kansas. Kansas Strong works to educate and inform people about the important role our industry plays in their lives. The Kansas oil and natural gas industry provides the energy and security our nation needs.
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