BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) As Congress presses the Obama administration to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, government records show oil pipeline accidents have become increasingly frequent in the U.S.
An Associated Press review shows accident numbers growing steadily since 2009, reversing a decade-long decline.
Keystone would go from Canada to the Gulf, passing near where 30,000 gallons of crude spilled into Montana's Yellowstone River earlier this month.
The recent breach became the latest in a string of spills to highlight ongoing problems with maintenance of the nation's crude pipeline network.
After the U.S. Senate voted Thursday in favor of Keystone, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state cited the increase in spills in calling for Obama to veto the measure.
Keystone supporter North Dakota Democrat Senator Heidi Heitkamp said building it was preferable to using older pipelines.