Oil Leaks Normal, Says TransCanada

WNAX gets comment from TransCanada on its oil leaks in May and June at the Carpenter and Roswell pump stations on the Keystone pipeline. "To a certain extent, these are normal parts of bringing the pipeline into service," says company spokesman Jeff Rauh.

Why yes, oil spills do appear to be normal operating procedure for oil companies, along with explosions, destruction, and death, as documented by this new National Wildlife Federation report (PDF). Summarizing the last decade of oil industry malfeasance, NWF counts 2554 significant incidents, 161 deaths, and 576 injuries from pipeline mishaps alone.

South Dakota doesn't appear much in the NWF 2010 report. Alas, as TransCanada seeks to bring more of its normal pipeline operations through South Dakota, I worry we'll figure more prominently in the 2020 edition.