BISMARCK, ND – TransCanada Corp. says its pipeline that transports crude oil from Canada through seven states was temporarily shut down for “mechanical issues.” Spokesman Terry Cunha says no oil spilled along the 2,148-mile-long pipeline’s route. He says the company was working Wednesday to find out the cause of the problem. Crude began flowing through the $5.2 billion pipeline last year. It’s designed to carry 590,000 barrels of oil daily across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri on the way to refineries Patoka, Illinois, and Cushing, Oklahoma. Wednesday’s shutdown came as the Calgary-based company seeks to build the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas. That project is awaiting U.S. State Department approval. TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline runs throught parts of Beadle, Kingsbury, Miner and Clark counties.
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