Keystone Pipeline Sludge Delays Work Needed to Assess Damage (2)

Excavation work at a Keystone Pipeline oil spill has been delayed because crews must clean up sludge around the site, according to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.

Heavy equipment has been moved close to the location of Tuesday’s leak that spewed 3,500 barrels of oil across a remote area of the state, but digging can’t commence until a mixture of crude and water is removed, agency official Marty Haroldson said by phone on Friday. The excavation, which had been expected to start on Thursday, is the first step in repairing the pipe system that hauls Canadian oil to ...