Muddy conditions affect cleanup of Keystone Pipeline oil spill near Fort Ransom

FORT RANSOM, N.D. (KVRR) — The company that manages Keystone Pipeline estimates that 3,500 barrels of crude oil leaked Tuesday morning near Fort Ransom.

The spill was confined to a field in a rural area, about an hour southwest of Fargo.

The pipeline has halted the flow of millions of gallons of crude oil from Canada to refineries in the U.S. potentially leading to higher gas prices.

It transported an average 624,000 barrels — or more than 26 million gallons — per day in 2024.

“There was snow on the ground when this happened and all that snow is melting. So all that water is being contained on the site. And then they’re going to have to come in and excavate, but it’s so muddy out there right now. They’re actually building pallet roads to keep their equipment from sinking into the ground,” says Bill Suess, Spill Investigation Program Manager.

Cleanup could take about a month and the investigation into the spill is ongoing.