On April 8, 2025, the Keystone oil pipeline, spanning 2,689 miles from Alberta, Canada, to Texas, USA, ruptured near Fort Ransom in southeastern North Dakota, about 60 miles southwest of Fargo. The nearly 2,700-mile pipeline, managed by South Bow, was shut down Tuesday morning after a pressure drop triggered leak detection systems. Approximately 3,500 barrels (147,000 gallons) of crude oil spilled into an agricultural field in a rural area, with the affected segment isolated and containment efforts underway. The pipeline, operational since 2011 at a cost of $5.2 billion, transports an average of 624,000 barrels (26 million gallons) of heavy crude daily from Canada to U.S. refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas.
BREAKING NEWS:
— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) April 9, 2025
The Keystone Pipeline has RUPTURED.
Oil spill near Edinburgh, North Dakota after rupture of Keystone pipeline. pic.twitter.com/ScJbcKc98b
The spill, reported at 7:44 a.m. after a loud “bang,” was contained within two minutes, but the cause remains under investigation. South Bow prioritizes onsite safety and environmental risk mitigation. Experts, including Ramanan Krishnamoorti from the University of Houston, warn of potential gasoline price hikes in the Midwest within days, with greater impacts on diesel and jet fuel due to the unique crude’s limited sources. The shutdown threatens supply chains, potentially driving up fuel costs across the region.
Like it or not this is still a much safer failure than the alternative, which is a train full of oil tanker cars derailing as happened in East Palestine. The leak is smaller, easier to control, safer, and more effectively cleaned up.