WASHINGTON COUNTY, KS — About three weeks after a rupture to an oil pipeline in northeastern Kansas shut down the line, the pipeline's operator has completed a "controlled restart" of the affected section. 

Canada-based T.C. Energy announced Thursday it has completed repairs, inspections and testing and has reopened the section of pipeline that runs from Steele City, Neb. to Cushing, Okla. The section, known to the company as the Cushing Extension has been shut down since rupturing in Washington County, Kan. on December 7. 

The company had previously restarted the pipeline sections from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Patoka, Ill. and from Cushing to the Gulf Coast on December 14.

T.C. Energy says the pipeline will operate under plans approved by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA). In the company's latest update Thursday afternoon, they say the plan includes additional risk-mitigation measures, including reduced operating pressures. 

"We appreciate the ongoing oversight and expertise of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), PHMSA and other local, state and federal agencies. Our team has been overwhelmed by the kind support of Washington County landowners and the community," T.C. Energy said in the update on its website. 

T.C. Energy's President of Liquids Pipelines Richard Prior echoed the comments in a statement.

"After participating in the emergency response efforts and touring the affected areas, I also want to express gratitude to our dedicated teams and oversight regulatory agencies in responding to this incident and for their work around the clock, including over the holidays," he wrote. "As we resume operations, our focus continues to be on the safety of people, communities and the environment as we deliver the essential energy North Americans need."

The spill released roughly 14,000 barrels-worth of crude oil into a creek and nearby pastureland in the northeastern Kansas county. 

As of December 23, T.C. Energy says it has recovered nearly 7,700 barrels of oil.

T.C. Energy says the cause of the incident is under investigation and specifics will not be made public until its conclusion. The PHMSA will share the final analysis of the rook cause or causes of the spill, according to T.C. Energy.