Edinburg Remediation and Restoration
On October 29, 2019, we responded to an incident along our Keystone Pipeline system in Edinburg, North Dakota. Cleanup continues as crews work to remove the remaining surface soil. This activity will continue until the site is fully remediated. Once the clean-up work is done, our focus will turn to the full restoration of the site, which will occur in 2020.
Our goal is zero incidents company-wide. Our focus and top priority is always safety of the public, our workforce and the environment. Though the cause of the current incident is unknown, we are working with federal and state regulators to analyze and learn from what occurred, so we can ensure our energy infrastructure operates safely and the way it is designed to.
We never want to see an incident like this take place, but it has reinforced the value behind the training and resources we put into emergency preparedness and response. In 2018 alone, we held 196 training exercises and spent $1.3 billion in pipeline integrity and maintenance programs – to maintain the safety of our system, be proactive in our maintenance procedures and identify potential improvements or repairs that need to be made. No one has a stronger interest than we do in ensuring our pipeline system operates safely and reliably. Click here to learn more about safety at TC Energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the impacted area of the spill increased?
No, the impacted area has not increased beyond the original containment effort established on the day of the incident, which was approximately 4.8 acres. It’s important to clarify that amendments showing a “10x increase” reflect the public recording/interpretation of the affected area which now shows our larger security perimeter, not any increase in land affected by the spill. To reiterate, there has been no change to the directly affected area and no migration of oil beyond the 5 acres originally contained.
What actions did TC Energy take when it found out about the incident?
The system was shut down within minutes. Within 48 hours, roughly 35 technicians were on site, and within days we had 200 technicians, 13 vacu-trucks and numerous additional pieces of heavy equipment to site for the remediation effort.
Please see TC Energy Incident Commander Virgil Pfennig explain our response
What will happen to the impacted pipe?
We sent the removed section of the damaged pipe to a metallurgical laboratory for testing. After the pipe is tested at the laboratory, an independent investigation into the root cause of the incident will be conducted by a third-party specialist acceptable to PHMSA.
PHMSA issued you a Corrective Action Order. What actions are you taking to comply?
The order has outlined several actions that we must undertake in order to safely return and operate the system following this incident. Some of those steps include ensuring the damaged section of pipe undergoes third-party metallurgical testing of the pipe; developing a remedial work plan and conducting a historical review of the pipeline, including construction records.
Has TC Energy determined what caused the leak?
We will not speculate about the cause of the incident until we complete our investigation and the segment of the pipeline is thoroughly analyzed by the metallurgical lab. We want to ensure information is accurate and verifiable so we can learn from it and apply it to our pipeline integrity efforts.
Where will this contaminated soil be disposed of once it is removed?
We will follow all applicable federal and state regulations in disposing of the contaminated soil. It will be transported to a facility that is certified to dispose of this type of waste.
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