Milepost 14 Incident

TC ENERGY COMPLETES SHORELINE CLEAN-UP

As we have surpassed the six-month mark, we continue to progress remediation at our Keystone Milepost-14 incident site in Washington County, Kansas, with the following updates of note:

• We have completed shoreline clean-up activities and have made significant progress on restoring vegetation and the creek bedrock and sand mixture.
• Crews are in the final stages of transporting impacted material offsite after its recovery was completed last month.
• We currently have over 300 personnel on-site supporting this critical work. As we shared in our last update, we expect the majority of these activities to be completed by Fall 2023; however, the timing is subject to change.
• We are pleased to share a few recent photos of the site. We credit the significant progress made to date to our crews, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), KDHE, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and other local, state and federal agencies. We appreciate our continued shared commitment to safety and full restoration of the Milepost 14 site.
• Lastly, we would like to thank the community of Washington County and beyond for their ongoing support of our crews and work.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

We continue to progress our remediation at our Keystone Milepost-14 incident site in Washington County, Kansas, with the following updates of note:

• We have completed the in-creek recovery of the discharged oil, with oversight conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kansas Department of Health and Environment. This milestone reflects our crew's collaboration and innovation over the last few months, applying sophisticated recovery and water filtration techniques to support the product collection.
• We continue progressing with restoration activities along the Mill Creek shoreline, and environmental monitoring is ongoing. We currently expect to be on site until Q3 2023 to complete most of these activities; however, the timing is subject to change.
• In support of our commitment to sharing the causal learnings and our actions, this past week, TC Energy participated in a technical briefing with industry; the strong participation of technical leadership from over 80 companies and agencies underscored our shared commitment to pipeline safety. 

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy shares key findings of root cause and commitments to actions

Today, TC Energy and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) received the independent, third-party Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) for the Milepost 14 incident on the Cushing Extension of the Keystone Pipeline System. This concludes the third-party investigation outlined by PHMSA’s Amended Corrective Action Order (ACAO).

“We are unwavering in our commitment to fully remediate the site and are taking action on the recommendations from the RCFA. We will not stop until we have completed this work. We safely restarted the Keystone System in December 2022 and remain confident in its reliability as we deliver the energy the continent relies on.

We have made significant progress on our remediation and, to date, recovered 98 percent of the released product and cleaned up 90 percent of the Mill Creek shoreline. We are grateful to the agencies and personnel who continue to support this response, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and approximately 3,000 skilled personnel. Our team has achieved over 1 million person-hours in support of the commitment to this response and the safety of our system.” – Richard Prior, President, Liquids Pipelines, TC Energy

We are sharing the key findings of the RCFA and immediate actions.

RCFA findings

The RCFA revealed that a unique set of circumstances occurred at this location, which originated during the construction of the pipeline segment, and led to the failure at Milepost 14.

• The primary cause of the rupture was a progressive fatigue crack that originated at a girth weld connecting a manufactured elbow fitting to the pipe constructed across Mill Creek. This girth weld transitioned the pipe wall thickness from the elbow fitting to the adjacent piping and was completed at a fabrication facility. The RCFA confirmed the welding workmanship was compliant with applicable codes and standards.
• During construction, the pipe segment was subject to inadvertent bending stresses sufficient to initiate a crack at a shallow lack of fusion feature in the girth weld. Bending stresses during construction also led to a deformation in the elbow fitting and a wrinkle in the adjacent piping. Further, the design of the weld transition created a stress concentration point, making the pipe at this location more susceptible to bending stresses. This resulted in the initiation of a circumferential crack in the weld, which led to failure through operations after over a decade.
• The findings are consistent with the initial metallurgical and mechanical investigation released in February 2023, which also noted the elbow fitting and pipe met all strength and material property design and code requirements.
• The report notes that throughout its operational history, the Milepost 14 segment operated below its temperature and pressure design limits; this section of the Keystone system has never operated above 72 percent Specific Minimum Yield Strength (SMYS).

Our learnings and commitment to action

We are in the process of implementing a comprehensive plan – including the RCFA’s recommendations – to enhance our pipeline integrity program and overall safety performance. This plan will evolve.

• Excavations to investigate other sites with characteristics like the incident location sites based on the findings of the RCFA and our remedial work plan. We have taken steps to ensure the system is safe and reliable while this work is performed, including operating the system at reduced pressure.
• Performing additional in-line inspections as part of our system-wide response to the incident. To date, we have completed in-line inspections on the entirety of the Cushing Segment, the segment where the Milepost 14 incident occurred, which amounts to approximately 300 miles (482 kilometres).
• Reviewing and evolving pipeline design guidelines, construction, operations and integrity management practices.

Community and industry collaboration

We appreciate the ongoing oversight and expertise of the U.S. EPA, KDHE, PHMSA and other local, state and federal agencies. Our team remains grateful for the continued support of the Washington County community.

In support of our steadfast commitment to safety, we will also continue to share the learnings from the Milepost 14 incident and investigation with the broader industry to prevent similar incidents occurring elsewhere.

Remediated area of the creek downstream of the Milepost 14 feature site.

Download image

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy recovers over 95 percent of released volume

We continue to progress our remediation and the root cause investigation at our Keystone Milepost-14 incident site in Washington County, Kansas, with the following updates of note:

• We have recovered over 95 percent of the release volume. Our crews continue to use sophisticated recovery techniques and, most recently, installed a water filtration system enabling us to dewater the impacted creek area, supporting the continued product collection.
• Our focus continues to be the safe operation of the pipeline system. We continue to review the Amended Corrective Action Order (ACAO) from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PMHSA) we received last week. The Keystone Pipeline System has been operating under operational mitigations, within the pressure restrictions applied in the PHMSA ACAO, since it was safely returned to service in December. We continue to deliver our contracted volumes. 
• We have successfully completed Phase 2 of our Diversion Plan, supporting us in managing anticipated higher springtime water flow rates as we progress recovery and remediation efforts. 

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy shares initial investigation findings, revised release volume and actions

We continue to progress our remediation and the root cause investigation at our Keystone Milepost-14 incident site in Washington County, Kansas, with the following updates of note:

• We have advanced our root cause investigation with the completion of an independent mechanical and metallurgical analysis of the failed pipe. The analysis concludes that the failure occurred due to a combination of factors, including bending stress on the pipe and a weld flaw at a pipe to fitting girth weld that was completed at a fabrication facility.

Although welding inspection and testing were conducted within applicable codes and standards, the weld flaw led to a crack that propagated over time as a result of bending stress fatigue, eventually leading to an instantaneous rupture. The cause of the bending stress remains under investigation as part of the broader third-party root cause failure analysis.

The metallurgical analysis identified no issues with the strength or material properties of the pipe or manufactured fitting. The pipeline was operating within its operational design and within the pipeline design maximum operating pressure.

Our focus continues to be the safe operation of the pipeline system. Additional operational mitigations, such as reduced operating pressure, are in place to support the safe operations of our system while we continue our response and investigation. Our team is progressing a remediation plan, including an analysis of other areas with potentially similar conditions, the use of additional in-line inspections, and further operational mitigations.

• We have revised the release volume to 12,937 barrels from the original estimated maximum of 14,000 barrels. The revised volume is the actual measured volume of crude oil injected during the re-fill of the pipeline system during its safe restart.
  
  
• Our commitment to remediation, investigation and shared learnings is unwavering. To support this, we have arrived at a cost estimate of US$480 million. This estimate may be adjusted as we continue to progress work on site. We have appropriate insurance coverage in place and are working with our insurers to maximize cost recoveries.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy’s community matching campaign delivers strong results

To demonstrate our appreciation to the Washington County community, we recently ran a matching campaign internally and externally with 100 percent matching – in support of the Washington County Hospital. That giving campaign has recently concluded and we are pleased to share that we have collectively raised nearly $120,000 for the Washington County Hospital. This includes a $50,000 donation from a generous local community member, which we matched as part of the campaign.

We want to extend our gratitude to all those that generously supported the campaign, including the local community and our employees. Our commitment to supporting the Washington County community doesn’t stop here. We will continue to explore other ways to contribute to the community through our Build Strong program.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy continues oil recovery effort and installs water diversion system

We continue to progress our oil recovery effort, remediation and investigation at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, with the following items of note:

• Our oil recovery efforts continue to progress successfully. To date, we have recovered nearly 90 percent of the estimated release volume. Our crews are using skimmers and vacuum trucks, as well as mechanical removal as needed, to recover oil and water from Mill Creek and the shoreline.
• We completed the installation of a temporary above-ground water diversion system at Mill Creek. The system enables us to temporarily divert water from a location upstream of the pipeline spill, to downstream of the containment dams, while we continue our recovery and remediation efforts.
• TC Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to a Consent Order outlining the expectations for the ongoing recovery and remediation efforts.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy advances remediation and community giving plans

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• Activities are ongoing to temporarily divert Mill Creek from a location upstream of the pipeline spill, to downstream of the containment dams. The diversion includes the installation of water pumps and an above-ground bypass line. The diversion will assist in the clean-up and reclamation of the creek.
• To demonstrate our appreciation for the Washington County emergency responders and their rapid action and support during our initial response, we are giving $7,500 toward mobile and radio equipment. This will enhance the communication and response capabilities of the Washington County emergency responders.
• We are also pleased to share that we are expanding our community giving program to the Washington County Hospital. As of today, the public will now have the opportunity to contribute with 100 percent matching from TC Energy’s Build Strong Program.
  
  

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy safely completes controlled restart of Keystone Pipeline’s Cushing Extension

After completing repairs, inspections and testing we proceeded with a controlled restart of the Cushing Extension, safely returning the Keystone Pipeline to service today. The Cushing Extension will operate under plans approved by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

The Keystone Pipeline System is now operational to all delivery points. As always, we continue to monitor the system 24/7 as we deliver the energy customers and North Americans rely on. The pipeline system will operate with additional risk-mitigation measures, including reduced operating pressures. We maintain our commitment to our ongoing safety-led response and will fully remediate the incident site. We will share the learnings from the investigation as they become available.

We appreciate the ongoing oversight and expertise of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), PHMSA and other local, state and federal agencies. Our team has been overwhelmed by the kind support of Washington County landowners and the community.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

TC Energy continues oil recovery and response over the holidays

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has approved our Restart Plan for the Cushing segment. We will be commencing activities to support the safe restart of the segment, including rigorous testing and inspections, and this will take several days. We will provide an update on in-service once we are able.  

Our onsite activities will continue despite adverse weather, although colder temperatures may slow efforts due to impacts on some equipment. We will continue to prioritize the safety of people and the environment. We thank our crews working at site over the holidays.

We greatly appreciate our ongoing working relationship and expertise of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), PHMSA and other local, state and federal agencies. Our team has been overwhelmed by the kind support of Washington County landowners and the community. As part of our thank you to the community, we have launched an employee-funded donation program and will match 100 percent of our employees' contributions to the Washington County Hospital. We will continue to explore other ways to contribute to the community through our Build Strong program.  

TC Energy progresses response and recovery effort

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• As of Dec. 20, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered an estimated 7,599 barrels of oil from the creek (15,488 barrels of oil and water).
• We safely removed the impacted pipeline segment and have sent it to an independent lab for metallurgical testing as directed by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
• Like many in the U.S., we are expecting significant winter weather impacts over the upcoming days. We continue to prioritize the safety of people and the environment and will be working safely according to weather conditions. Recovery rates have the potential to slow due to the upcoming weather.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy continues response and recovery effort

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• As of Dec. 18, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered an estimated 7,233 barrels of oil from the creek (13,877 barrels of oil and water). Our recovery rates have the potential to slow by the upcoming cold weather in the area.
• We have established a notification system for community members to sign-up and receive the latest updates on our recovery efforts.
• We continue to respond in Unified Command with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). EPA has released an interactive tool that shows updated data on response efforts. This will be updated daily.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy continues response and recovery effort

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• As of Dec. 16, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered 6,973 barrels of oil from the creek (10,351 barrels of oil and water).
• Our dedicated workforce of response personnel now exceeds 400.
• We continue to respond to this incident in a Unified Command (UC) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). We also continue to work with the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and other state and local agencies as well.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy progresses response and recovery effort

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• As of Dec. 15, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered 4,125 barrels of oil from the creek (7,397 barrels of oil and water).
• We continue to prioritize the safety of people and the environment. We are working with wildlife assessment crews including state and federal wildlife trustees and have trained professional responders onsite to identify any impacts to wildlife.
• Industry peers and agencies are providing support, including sharing best practices and tools to aid in our safe response to this incident.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

Incident response and oil recovery continue

We continue to progress our response and oil recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas, including:

• Safely restarting the Keystone section that extends from Hardisty, Alberta to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois on Dec. 14th. 
• As of Dec. 14, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered 3,035 barrels of oil from the creek (5,567 barrels of oil and water). 
• We have excavated the area around the impacted segment of pipeline, which is a milestone in the repair and investigation process.  
• We have established a reporting system for anyone in the surrounding area to communicate sightings of impacted wildlife and are working with a third-party environmental agency to assist in our response.  

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.  

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. 

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy restarts pipeline section that extends from Hardisty, Alberta to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois

TC Energy has communicated with its regulators and customers about today’s restart of the Keystone Pipeline section that extends from Hardisty, Alberta to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois. This restart facilitates safe transportation of the energy that customers and North Americans rely on.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continues to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com.

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

Keystone Pipeline System Map showing Milepost 14 Incident location in Washington County, Kansas (12-14-2022).

Download image

Incident response and oil recovery continue

Our ongoing efforts for incident response and oil recovery at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas continue:

• Rainfall in the area has not had a negative impact on containment on site. Our onsite team had proactively prepared for this event with a secondary dam and additional resources. Crews are working to mitigate challenging road conditions by bringing in more gravel, mats and limiting traffic as it allows.
• We continue to prioritize the safety of people and the environment. Late yesterday, we rescued a beaver impacted by the incident. Our third-party environmental experts are caring for the animal using specialized equipment and techniques.
• Vacuum trucks and our crews continue to operate around the clock. Multiple booms are set up downstream of the release point to contain the oil from moving downstream; oil has not breached the containment area.
• The investigation is ongoing, and we do not have any updates on a cause.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

Oil recovery underway

We continue to progress our response and recovery effort at our Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas.

We remain focused on the following response and recovery activities, including:

• As of today, we have recovered 2,598 barrels of oil and water from the creek. The creek does not connect to a source of drinking water.
• Vacuum trucks and our crews are operating around the clock to drive this effort and multiple booms are set up downstream of the release point to contain the oil from moving downstream; oil has not breached the containment area.

Our commitment to the community is that our response efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site. We now have over 300 individuals on site, including third-party experts, to support containment and incident response.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy response staging area on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Washington County, Kansas.

Download image

TC Energy response staging area on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Washington County, Kansas.

Download image

TC Energy continues to progress our response efforts in Washington County, Kansas. We have entered Unified Command with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and continue to work in collaboration with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Association (PHMSA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

We remain focused on the following response and recovery activities, including:

• A dedicated workforce exceeding 250 personnel, including third-party environmental specialists.
• The product remains contained and multiple vacuum trucks, booms, and additional resources are onsite as we continue the recovery process.
• Repair planning is also underway, as are shoreline assessments.
• Continuous air quality monitoring has been deployed and, at this time, there is no indication of adverse health or public concerns.

Additionally, crews are beginning preparations for forecasted rain beginning Monday. We continue to work closely with landowners, the community, and local, state and federal regulators. Additionally, we are in discussion with the Tribal Nations and will welcome a Tribal representative onsite to monitor the progress.

As always, the health and safety of our onsite staff and personnel, our community neighbors, and mitigating risk to the environment remains our primary focus. We are working with local and state environmental agencies to develop incident-specific Wildlife Management Plans, including specialists to care for impacted wildlife.

We appreciate the patience and collaboration of the surrounding community and partner agencies for their support in responding to this incident. We recognize this is concerning to the community and commit that we will continue our response until we have fully remediated the site.

Our teams continue to actively investigate the cause of the incident. We have not confirmed a timeline for re-start and will only resume service when it is safe to do so, and with the approval of the regulator.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

Response crews meet up at their morning briefing on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Washington County, Kansas.

Download image

TC Energy response staging area on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Washington County, Kansas.

Download image

We are continuing to advance our response efforts at Milepost 14, including:

• An increased workforce on site including remediation crews.
• Product remains contained and multiple vacuum trucks and booms are onsite and we have begun the recovery process.
• Repair planning is also underway, as are shoreline assessments.
• Continuous air quality monitoring has been deployed.

The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains isolated and downstream migration of the release is contained. Plans for return-to-service continue to be evaluated.

At the time of the incident, the pipeline was operating within its design and regulatory approval requirements. Over the last several years, we have taken decisive action to implement measures to strengthen our approach to safety and the integrity of our system and will conduct a full investigation into the root cause of this incident, in cooperation with regulators.

We have been working closely with regulators, local elected officials, landowners, the community and tribal nations to keep them informed.

The health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment is our primary focus right now. Our response efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy continues to respond to a release of oil from our Keystone Pipeline System into a creek in Washington County, Kansas.

The affected segment has been isolated and we have contained downstream migration of the release.

The system remains shutdown as our crews actively respond and work to contain and recover the oil. Our estimated release volume is 14,000 barrels.

Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment. We immediately activated our emergency response procedures and we have established environmental monitoring, including around-the-clock air monitoring. Our response efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site.

We will continue to provide timely updates as information becomes available.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

TC Energy crews responding to incident on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022 in Washington County, Kansas.

DOWNLOAD IMAGE

We have shut down the Keystone Pipeline System and mobilized people and equipment in response to a confirmed release of oil into a creek in Washington County, Kan., approximately 20 miles (32 kilometres) south of Steele City, Neb.

Pursuant to our incident protocols, an emergency shutdown and response was initiated at approximately 8 p.m. CT, on Dec. 7, 2022, after alarms and a detected pressure drop in the system. The affected segment has been isolated, and booms deployed to control downstream migration of the release. The system remains shutdown as our crews actively respond and work to contain and recover the oil.

We are proceeding to make appropriate notifications, including to our customers and regulators and will work cooperatively with third parties to effectively respond to this incident.

Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment through the deployment of booms downstream as we work to contain and prevent further migration of the release.

Media inquiries can be sent to TC Energy media relations at media@tcenergy.com. 

Community related inquiries can be sent to public_affairs_us@tcenergy.com or 1-855-920-4697.

Impacted soil, once excavated, is stockpiled on-scene. From there, laboratory analysis is performed to provide the landfill with a waste profile. This analysis has determined that the impacted soil is a non-hazardous waste under state and federal regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy have reviewed and concur with the analysis. The soil is transported to a licensed commercial landfill facility with the appropriate environmental protection systems — such as liners and groundwater monitoring systems — to ensure that materials are properly contained and monitored. Landfills have discretion on whether or not they wish to receive waste; the current landfill is also permitted by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy to receive this type of material. The facility also employs extensive testing, monitoring and reporting that meets regulatory requirements. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working closely with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy to ensure that all impacted soils are appropriately tested, transported, and disposed of in accordance with state and federal regulations.

Federal and state officials and response personnel from TC Energy created, reviewed, and approved an impacted soil hauling plan. The approved shipper is responsible for safely transporting the impacted soils to the approved landfill along with the appropriate shipping papers.

We are transporting additional soil to the site to support backfilling excavated areas and the management of temporary berms at the Milepost 14 site. The soil is sourced from a separate facility, and testing has validated it as a clean source of subsoil and topsoil.

• TC Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to a Consent Order outlining the expectations for the ongoing recovery and remediation efforts.
• This includes the recovery of oil from the discharge area of the pipeline, the temporary diversion of Mill Creek, as well as continued air monitoring and water sampling in accordance with our plans to restore the impacted area. We are committed to complying with the agreement as we progress our response, recovery, and remediation.
• TC Energy and the EPA prioritize safety and mitigating risk to the environment.
• We are committed to complying with the agreement as we progress our response, recovery, and remediation.

The diversion of Mill Creek will assist in the clean-up and reclamation of the creek. We temporarily diverted Mill Creek from a location upstream of the pipeline spill, to downstream of the containment dams. This bypass system uses water pumps and an above-ground bypass line that isolate the creek flow from the current pipeline spill and reclamation area.

• Over the last several years, TC Energy has taken decisive action to implement measures to strengthen our approach to safety and the integrity of our system. We are conducting a full investigation into the root cause of this incident, in cooperation with regulators. We take every incident very seriously. No incident is ever acceptable to us. Our immediate focus continues to be effective response to clean and remediate the site.
• We continue to gather information as part of the investigation. What we know is that the line was operating at reduced pressure at the time of the incident. We have ruled out a third-party strike as the cause.
• The impacted section of the pipe was completely replaced. It has been transported to a third-party facility where it will be analyzed as part of the investigation. We will share the details of this investigation, once available, as well as our actions.
• We won’t have specifics about the cause of the incident until we complete the investigation, and the segment of the pipeline is thoroughly analyzed by the NTSB metallurgical lab. Any findings shared until then would be speculation.

The Keystone Pipeline System is now operational to all delivery points. After completing repairs, inspections and testing we proceeded with a controlled restart of the Cushing Extension, safely returning the Keystone Pipeline to service on December 29. The Cushing Extension is operating under plans approved by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
As always, we continue to monitor the system 24/7 as we deliver the energy customers and North Americans rely on. The pipeline system is operating with additional risk- mitigation measures, including reduced operating pressures.

Keystone Pipeline System

Keystone Pipeline System Map showing restarted Cushing Extension in Washington County, Kansas (12-29-2022).

Download image

The Keystone Pipeline System is 2,687 miles (4,324 km) in length. It plays a key role in delivering crude oil supplies received at Hardisty, Alberta and Cushing, Oklahoma.

The system is primarily a single pipeline from Canada into the U.S. until Steele City, Nebraska, where it diverges with one arm running east through Missouri for deliveries into Wood River and Patoka, Illinois, and the other arm running south through Oklahoma to Cushing and onward to Port Arthur and Houston, Texas.

The Keystone Pipeline System began operation in 2010 and has transported more than 3.6 billion barrels of crude oil. An additional segment to the Keystone Pipeline System, the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, was terminated in 2021.

Keystone Pipeline System

Keystone Pipeline System Map showing restarted Cushing Extension in Washington County, Kansas (12-29-2022).

Download image

We are committed to restoring the affected areas to their original condition or better.