Pipeline Owned By the Company Behind Dakota Access Leaks 55,000 Gallons of Gasoline

A different, completed pipeline owned by Sunoco Logistics, the same company behind the construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, leaked 55,000 gallons, or 1,300 barrels, of gasoline into a major river on Friday.

The pipeline leaked into the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This river is already the third most endangered river in the United States, mostly due to the development of the natural gas industry. The leak was reportedly caused by floods and landslides after heavy rainfall on Thursday night. 

The breach was detected at about 3am Friday morning and the pipeline was shut down. A Pennsylvania utility firm have warned residents to refrain from using water from the river as a precaution.

“Crews will use skimmers to remove gasoline from the top of affected waterways and will erect containment booms downstream,” Sunoco Logistics said in a statement, but did not specify which waterways have been affected.

The actual break on the pipeline was not found immediately, as authorities have to wait until the rain subsides and the water recedes in order to locate it.

According to Reuters, Sunoco spills crude more often than any of its competitors and has had more than 200 leaks since 2010.

This is bad timing for Sunoco, as the leak comes during heavy protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline by the Standing Rock Sioux and their supporters that claim the pipeline threatens the water supply.

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