Keystone pipeline spills 5,000 barrels of oil in US NEWS / US & CANADA WATCH 29:31 Standing Rock and the Battle Beyond Environment US & Canada Oil spill SIGN UP The spill comes in the midst of a growing protest movement against oil pipelines in the US and Canada [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters] An investigation is ongoing after a leak in the major Keystone energy pipeline spilled nearly 795,000 litres of oil onto farmland in the US state of South Dakota. That is the equivalent of 5,000 barrels of oil, said TransCanada, the Calgary- based company that operates Keystone, a 4,324-km pipeline which carries crude oil from Canada through the US. The company said the pipeline was shut down on Thursday morning after the leak was detected near the town of Amherst, South Dakota. "Emergency response procedures were activated," TransCanada said in a statement. Advertisement "The safety of the public and environment are our top priorities and we will continue to provide updates as they become available." Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the state's Department of Environment and Natural Resources, told CNN the incident is the largest Keystone pipeline spill to date in South Dakota. 'Groundwater contamination' Walsh said the leak came from an underground pipeline and that it had been contained at the site, Reuters news agency said. "It will be a few days until they can excavate and get in borings to see if there is groundwater contamination," Walsh said, according to

Environmental and Indigenous groups say, however, that the spill should raise serious questions about plans to expand oil pipelines in the US