U.S. Shuts Down TransCanada Pipeline Over Leaks

Environmental concerns over the Keystone Pipeline won't help TransCanada's hopes of expanding further into the U.S.

TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline has been shut down by a U.S. federal agency due to concerns about leaks in the system, which sends crude oil from the Alberta oil sands to Illinois and Oklahoma. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration ordered the pipeline to be closed until TransCanada completes 14 steps to make certain the line is secure. Two leaks last month, including one that spilled 500 barrels in North Dakota, prompted the agency's review of the pipeline, which opened just last year. The company is hoping to extend the line all the way to ports on the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico.