The United States experienced the worst oil pipeline spill in a decade, with an amount of oil spilled enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool

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This week, a pipeline transporting oil from Canada to the United States ruptured on U.S. soil, and cleanup and investigation efforts are currently underway. According to The Wall Street Journal, approximately 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled in the United States, marking the worst oil pipeline spill in the country in a decade. According to a Reuters report on the 11th, leaks began to occur on the Keystone pipeline linking the United States and Canada on the 7th; the leak site is located in Washington County, Kansas, USA, and 14,000 barrels of oil have already leaked out. The air was filled with a strong petroleum smell; generators and lighting equipment had been brought to the area near the leak, and environmental experts were assisting with the cleanup efforts. Investigators were also on site to determine the cause of the leak. This can be considered another major leakage of a natural resource that is likely to have environmental impacts, following the European gas pipeline incident. As of December 10 local time, the oil pipeline leak has not posed a threat to the local water supply, nor has it forced residents to evacuate. Emergency responders installed oil barriers near the leak site to prevent the oil from spreading to larger areas. “The “keystone” pipeline operator, Canadian TC Energy, and the U.S. **Environmental Protection Agency say the leak has been contained. TC Energy sent several trucks to absorb the oil, and conducted 24-hour air quality monitoring as well as other environmental tests. According to NPR, a report by the U.S. Office of Accountability shows that the Keystone pipeline has experienced 22 oil leaks since it was put into operation in 2010. This latest leak has prompted environmentalists and safety advocates to question whether TC Energy should continue to hold federal permits that allow the pressure within its pipeline system to exceed normal levels. This oil pipeline was put into operation in 2010; it serves as the backbone pipeline connecting Alberta in Canada with the Midwestern United States and the Gulf of Mexico region. Under normal operating conditions, its daily oil transport capacity is 622,000 barrels, making it the main artery for transporting crude oil from Canada to the United States. According to U.S. media reports, the amount of oil that leaked this time was 588,000 gallons, enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Federal U.S. data shows that the amount of oil spilled in this accident exceeded the total amount spilled in all previous leaks from the same pipeline system; it was the worst onshore crude oil spill in nearly a decade, as well as the most severe leak to occur on the Keystone pipeline since it came into operation in 2010. Environmentalists say that heavier tar sands oil is more toxic than lighter crude oil; it sinks to the bottom of the water rather than remaining on the surface. Members of the U.S. environmental organization The Sierra Club believe that the cleanup will take months or even years. TC Energy stated that third-party environmental experts are continuously monitoring air quality, and there are no signs at present that this spill will have an adverse impact on public health. Furthermore, TC Energy stated that pipeline transportation services will only be resumed once safety is ensured and approved by regulatory authorities.