TC Pipelines' Ruptured Keystone Pipeline Spilled Diluted Bitumen, Posing Challenge To Cleanup, Report Says

  • TC Pipelines LP TRP shut down the Keystone Pipeline System after an oil leak into a creek in Washington County.
  • The oil spill rupturing the Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said, adding complications to the cleanup.
  • Bitumen tends to sink in water, making it harder to collect than oils that float.
  • Related: Traders Fret On Supply Challenges, On No Timelines For TC Pipelines-Backed Keystone Pipeline.
  • The parts of the pipeline carrying oil from Alberta to refineries in Illinois opened on Wednesday at reduced capacity. 
  • The ruptured portion extending from south of Steele City, Nebraska, to a storage hub in Oklahoma remains closed.
  • Citing the report, Reuters noted that when diluted bitumen spills, a thick, dense material forms as a residue after environmental exposure. The residue sticks to surfaces, sometimes sinking to the bottom of a water body.
  • "For this reason, spills of diluted bitumen pose particular challenges when they reach water bodies," the report said.
  • More than 400 people are involved in the cleanup.
  • The response team has so far recovered 5,567 barrels of an oil-water mixture from Mill Creek.
  • Price Action: TRP shares closed at $41.38 on Thursday.
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