Update…Tesoro Pipeline Oil Spill, Cleanup

Update…

 BISMARCK, N.D. (AP Oct 15, 2013) – Tesoro Corp. says part of a broken pipeline that leaked 20,600 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in northwestern North Dakota will be sent to an independent lab for testing.
 
     The Texas-based company says Tuesday that it will “remove, reroute and replace” a 200-foot section of pipe. The company says federal regulators have approved the plan.
 
     Company officials are investigating what caused the hole in the 6-inch steel pipeline. The spill was discovered on Sept. 29 by a farmer harvesting wheat.
 
     Officials say the spill has been contained and no water sources have been contaminated. 
 
     Tesoro says it is developing plans to restart the pipeline but the timeline is not yet known.

Previously…

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Wheat farmer Steve Jensen says he had been smelling crude oil for days on his farm near Tioga, in northwestern North Dakota. But he didn’t think much of it until his combine tires became coated with crude.
 
     Jensen says the crude oil was “spewing and bubbling six inches high” at the apparent break in an underground pipeline.
 
     State health officials say more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil spewed out of a Tesoro Corp. oil pipeline in Jensen’s wheat field. The spill was discovered on Sept. 29.
 
     Jacob Wiedmer was helping Jensen harvest his wheat and likened the bubbling crude to the theme song from the “Beverly Hillbillies” television show.

North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple (DAHL’-rimp-ul) says he wasn’t told about the oil spill  until Wednesday night, days after it was discovered on September 29th.

 A Sierra Club spokesman says the large oil spill near Tioga is an example of a lack of oversight in a state where oil development has exploded in recent years. Wade Schafer says North Dakota needs “more inspectors and more transparency.”

Tesoro says it will “work tirelessly” to clean up the area. 

 
     The Texas-based company says in a statement that the affected portion of the pipeline has been shut down. CEO Greg Goff says “protection and care of the environment are fundamental to our core values.”
 
     Tesoro says no water sources have been contaminated, no wildlife has been hurt and no one has been injured.
 
     Company officials are investigating what caused the hole in the 6-inch-diameter steel pipeline

Previously…

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The state Department of Health says an oil pipeline owned by Tesoro spewed 20,600 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in northwestern North Dakota.
 
     Environmental geologist Kris Roberts says the spill was discovered on Sept. 29 by a farmer harvesting wheat.
 
     Roberts says cleanup crews have been on site since then and have recovered about 1,165 barrels of oil. A barrel is 42 gallons.
 
     Roberts says the spill covers an area the size of about seven football fields. He says the spill has been contained and no water sources have been contaminated.
 
     Tesoro officials did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on Thursday.