Anthony Swift, Attorney, International Program, Washington, DC

TransCanada’s Keystone I pipeline has been shut down due to mechanical issues. There is no word yet on the nature or the extent of the problems, but this yet another sign of a badly constructed pipeline built by a company focused on saving money over safety. TransCanada’s abysmal operating history with Keystone I should serve as a clear warning as the Obama Administration considers the company’s proposal to build an even larger tar sands pipeline, Keystone XL, through the nation’s richest source of groundwater in Nebraska’s Sandhills.

Let’s remember, TransCanada claimed that the Keystone I pipeline system would be one that would “meet or exceed world-class safety and environmental standards” and leak an average of 1.4 times a decade.  In just its first year of operation, Keystone leaked fourteen times, a hundred times more leaks that TransCanada predicted. On its Canadian side, the pipeline has leaked at least twenty-one times.

The safety issues on Keystone I are consistent with the story of Mike Klink, a former TransCanada quality control inspector who worked on that pipeline. During his time with TransCanada, Mr. Klink reported systematic shortcuts that were taken in ...

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