North Dakota Had 292 Oil Spills In 2 Years – Only Disclosed 1 To The Public

22 November 2016

 - North Dakota had nearly 300 oil pipeline spills in less than two years, none of which were reported to the public.

From January 2012 – September 2013, these pipeline spills were just a part of approximately 750 “oil field incidents” that took place in the state without the public’s knowledge, according to a report by The Associated Press. It’s estimated that around 4,328 barrels worth of oil were spilled in this period.

In an another case, a break in a Tesoro Corp. pipeline resulted in approximately 20,600 barrels of oil spreading over an area the size of seven football fields. Officials claimed that no wildlife or water sources were harmed by the spill, which apparently led them to conclude that the public did not need to be notified.

The only incident in which the public was notified was an instance in which an oil truck was involved in a collision in 2012.