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SENATE LEADERS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT TAR SANDS PIPELINE
Media Releases Featured | No Tar Sands Oil Campaign | October 29, 2010
Eleven Prominent Senators Ask Sec. Clinton to Consider Consequences of Tar Sands Expansion and Explain the Need for this Oil
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eleven prominent U.S. senators, led by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), have written to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today calling on her to respond to detailed questions about the environmental impacts of the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada across the United States. Secretary Clinton must approve the pipeline’s permit in order for the project to move forward.
“I’m deeply concerned about the risks that oil from tar sands pose to America’s clean energy future,” said Sen. Merkley. “The further we prolong our dependence on oil the more we undermine American entrepreneurs and workers who are ready and working to produce clean energy in the U.S. In addition, extracting oil from tar sands produces several times more global warming pollution than conventional oil production. I look forward to discussing in detail the issue with Secretary Clinton, as there are many questions and concerns about this proposal that need to be answered.”
The letter’s signers include Senators Leahy, Burris (D-IL), Cardin (D-MD), Dodd (D-CT), Gillibrand (D-NY), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Menendez (D-NJ), Merkley (D-OR), Sanders (D-VT), Shaheen (D-NH), and Whitehouse (D-RI).
Specifically, the letter includes ten critical questions that the Senators want the Secretary to address and states that “approval of this pipeline will significantly increase our dependence on this oil for decades. We believe the Department of State (DOS) should not pre-judge the outcome of what should be a thorough, transparent analysis of the need for this oil and its impacts on our climate and clean energy goals.”
“This pipeline would lock us into the dirtiest oil on the planet for decades to come. The Senators are asking the Secretary to very carefully consider the impact on our air, water, and clean energy policies,” said Liz Barratt-Brown, senior attorney from NRDC.
Producing tar sands oil creates three times the emissions of producing conventional oil. These emissions are higher than fuels transported from far away, such as Nigerian crude, even after taking into account refining, transportation and combustion of the fuel.
TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline would cut through farms, homes and one of the nation’s most critical aquifers which supplies fresh water to one third of U.S. agriculture. Nebraska citizens and elected officials have come out in vocal opposition to this threat to the Heartland economy.
“This isn’t about deciding where we should get our dirty oil, it’s about deciding whether we are going to embrace clean energy or let the oil industry keep its stranglehold on our economy. This would be like putting 6.5 million new cars on the road right when we’re making progress on fuel economy,” said Kate Colarulli, dirty fuels coordinator for the Sierra Club.
While the State Department is delegated the authority (EO 13337) to approve a Presidential permit, many other agencies must weigh in on the approval. The State Department’s draft Environmental Impact Statement created a great deal of controversy with tens of thousands of citizens writing in their concern and opposition and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Interior (DOI) requesting significant additional analysis.
The State Department has argued that the pipeline is needed for energy security reasons. But the pipeline would open up a market for international trade in tar sands oil through the Gulf. To date, Canada has failed to permit new pipelines to its coastal ports.
“By far the best way to enhance energy security is by reducing oil consumption. We don’t need a pipeline to the Gulf that will export tar sands oil overseas,” said Kenny Bruno, campaign director for the No Tar Sands Oil campaign.
The U.S. has approved two dedicated tar sands pipelines since 2008 and already has the pipeline capacity to import well over 2 million barrels a day. Canada produces approximately 1.5 million barrels a day, one third of which is consumed in Canada, so it is unlikely that the Keystone XL pipeline would run at capacity for many years to come. According to Sierra Club analysis, an increase in fuel economy of just 2.5 mpg would eliminate the need for all the oil that would be carried by this pipeline and an increase of 12 mpg would eliminate the need for any tar sands oil.
“We applaud Senator Leahy’s leadership in ensuring the dangers this pipeline would pose are fully analyzed before any decision is made,” said Alex Moore, dirty fuels campaigner for Friends of the Earth. “Secretary Clinton must not fast-track this dangerous pipeline.”
Earlier this year, Representative Waxman (D-CA), and over 50 House members expressed their opposition to the pipeline. Additionally, Senators Johanns (R-NE) and Nelson (D-NE) recently sent individual letters to Sec. Clinton expressing concern over potential damage to the nearby Ogallala aquifer in the event of a spill.
Additional background on the Keystone XL project can be found here. The full letter can be found here.
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More information from the No Tar Sands Oil Coalition
- The joint Senate letter is here.
- No Tar Sands Oil press release in response to the Senate letter
- Backgrounder on the letter and the Alberta Clipper (Keystone XL) tar sands oil pipeline
- Transcript of Secretary Clinton’s remarks that precipitated the letter (search for “Alberta Clipper”)
- You can see video of Secretary Clinton’s remarks here. Jump to the 54:30 mark for the discussion of the Keystone XL pipeline (the Alberta Clipper).
The No Tar Sands Oil campaign is an effort to stop the expansion of the Canadian tar sands, advocate for its clean up and propel new energy alternatives. No Tar Sands Oil is supported by an international network of environmental, citizen and indigenous groups, including Corporate Ethics International, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Earthworks, Plains Justice, Rainforest Action Network, Indigenous Environmental Network, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Earthjustice, Global Community Monitor, Forest Ethics, Dogwood Initiative, Honor the Earth, Dakota Rural Action, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Save Union County, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club of Canada – Prairie Chapter.
Tagged with: keystone xl, pipeline, hillary clinton, secretary of state, senate, leahy, merkley
