The operator of the Keystone pipeline restarted the oil conduit less than a week after it ruptured, spilling thousands of barrels of crude in southeastern North Dakota.
Calgary-based South Bow said Monday that federal pipeline regulators approved the company’s repair and restart plans, allowing it to move forward with a “carefully controlled” restart.
Also on Monday, spokesperson Nathaniel Sizemore of the Department of Transportation confirmed that the department had given a green light to South Bow’s plans. He said the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — which is part of DOT — acted quickly to send investigators to the site in North Dakota and to South Bow’s headquarters in Canada.
“As part of our safety investigation, the operator was required to submit a repair plan and a restart plan. These plans met PHMSA standards and the agency has signed off on both,” Sizemore said in a statement. “PHMSA’s investigation is ongoing and the pipeline is operating at reduced pressure until PHMSA is confident that the pipeline can resume normal operations.”
