Keystone pipeline owners knew about problems before massive oil spill

By Nomin Ujiyediin,

Published May 24, 2023 at 4:00 AM CDT

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Investigators looking into the Keystone pipeline oil spill in Kansas found problems in the manufacturing and installation of a pipe that burst last December. Owner TC Energy also knew that the specific piece of the pipeline had been warped for a decade. Plus: The unique role that Kansas City played in McDonald's becoming a fast food giant.

The Keystone pipeline’s biggest oil spill ever happened in Kansas last year. Now an investigation reveals that the operator knew about problems in that section of the pipeline a decade ago. Kansas News Service editor Stephen Koranda and reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen fill us in on the chain of events that led to the spill.

Beginning in the 1960s, Kansas City became one of the first places in the country where McDonald’s franchises could be run by Black operators. From the KCUR podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin reports on how those restaurants got caught up in the fight for racial equality.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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