The Keystone oil pipeline was shut down Tuesday morning following a rupture in North Dakota, with the resulting spill contained to an agricultural field near Fort Ransom. The cause of the rupture and the amount of crude oil released remain unknown, officials said.
According to Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, a worker at the site heard a “mechanical bang” and quickly shut down the pipeline within about two minutes. Oil was later observed surfacing approximately 300 yards south of a nearby pump station, prompting an emergency response.
A grain truck drives past a Keystone pipeline pumping station near Milford, Neb., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. A grain truck drives past a Keystone pipeline pumping station near Milford, Neb., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. Associated Press
No people or structures were affected by the incident, Suess said. A nearby seasonal stream was not impacted, but crews isolated and blocked it off as a precaution. Suess noted that even a brief two-minute flow from the 30-inch pipeline could release a “fairly good volume” of oil, though he added, “I don’t think it’s going to be that huge,” referencing a larger spill involving the same pipeline in Walsh County several years ago.
The Keystone Pipeline, completed in 2011 at a cost of $5.2 billion, carries crude oil from Canada through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri to refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma. Originally built by TC Energy, the pipeline has been operated since 2024 by South Bow, a company formed to manage TC Energy’s liquid pipeline assets. The Associated Press has reached out to South Bow for comment.
The spill comes years after the proposed Keystone XL expansion—intended to carry crude to Gulf Coast refineries—was canceled in 2021 following sustained opposition from environmental groups and legal challenges.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Update: 4/8/25, 1:10 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
