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Concerned Montanans question safety of pipeline
News Articles | Great Falls Tribune | Darrell Garoutte and Kathy Hadley | November 18, 2010
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We are landowners concerned about safety, land, and water quality, who don’t want our land condemned for a pipeline (Keystone XL) that might not even be needed.
We are sportsmen concerned about oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico, Michigan, and Salt Lake that killed and injured wildlife.
We are Native Americans concerned about health effects for First Nations people living downstream of toxic tar sands production in Canada and how the pipeline would disturb historic cultural sites in Montana.
We are conservationists concerned about tar sands pollution that contributes to climate change, land degradation from the construction of the proposed pipeline, and destruction of vast areas of the boreal forest in Canada from tar sands production.
All of us are disappointed that Sen. Max Baucus has urged the State Department to quickly approve the Keystone XL pipeline that would take Canadian tar sands oil from Alberta through Montana to the U.S. Gulf Coast without taking the time to address our concerns.
These concerns include whether the pipeline is really needed; alternatives that would mean more jobs and less pollution; impacts to our land, water, and climate; impacts to tribes; and pipeline safety.
We strongly believe our concerns warrant full and careful consideration as the State Department goes through the permitting process for this project.
This should not be done hastily, especially since industry projections for future tar sands production suggest that Keystone XL would not be filled for at least a decade. Also, recognizing America’s increasing leadership in the transportation sector on energy efficiency, cleaner fuels, and electric vehicles, we believe the need for this pipeline is highly questionable.
Especially now, it makes no sense to fast-track another pipeline. This year we have seen the largest oil spill in our nation’s history in the Gulf of Mexico and one of the largest oil pipeline spills in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River.
In September, a gas pipeline explosion killed at least seven people and destroyed 40 homes in San Bruno, Calif.
Tagged with: keystone xl, transcanada, pipeline safety, montana
