Proposed crude oil pipeline threatens land, wastes energy
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=176522§ion=Opinion&for...
By Janie Capp,
Published Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Regarding the proposed 1,830-mile, 30-inch crude oil pipeline coming from Alberta, Canada, across North Dakota, to Illinois and possibly farther.
While we were having our hearing in Park River, N.D., on this project there was a major spill in Burnaby, B.C. At least 50 homes had to be evacuated; the oil crept on to the water; long-term toxic effects on wildlife; environmental concerns are being raised; blame is being placed everywhere. The oil line is operated by Kinder Morgan Canada. Spills are real and very damaging, plus costly to clean up, if they are ever cleaned up.
Canadian tar sands are estimated to contain 1.7 trillion barrels of crude bitumen. The problem comes in getting it out of the ground. After lagging for years, production has doubled over the past decade. The Alberta government and government of Canada have laid out an aggressive package of tax breaks, subsidies and discount royalties to ramp up extraction.
To get at tar sands, companies use huge amounts of natural gas – enough to heat 4 million homes last year alone – to generate steam that is pumped deep underground. From start to finish the process generates three times the global warming emissions of conventional gasoline. Emissions from tar sands production totaled 125 million tons in 2003.
People are saying that the pipeline will benefit North Dakota in the way of tax revenues, which I doubt when you figure the costs to repair roads, clean up leaks and the liability that goes with it. But why should North Dakotans who have paid taxes all our lives to the state suffer because of it? We are the citizens who have made this state our home and have left our money here; not like Keystone Pipeline will do.
We do not believe the line will be a common carrier, as North Dakota will be a pass-through state. A Keystone map shows how the pipeline lines up perfectly with an existing pipe going to Texas. Is that because they can get cheap labor from the Gulf of Mexico to refine it and then send it back to Canada?
Although the Keystone charts and graphs are impressive, and I am sure their representatives have college degrees, they do not know the lay of the land like the landowner does. Landowners know where every rock is, low spot that doesn’t drain, pothole, etc. The owner knows his land like the back of his hand. So how can Keystone come in and say this is the best place for a pipeline?
Capp lives in Lankin, N.D. E-mail JanieCapp@csb100.com
