I'm not particularly knowledgeable about ecological issues or the petroleum business, but I know another scheme by the monstrous Koch Brothers when I see one. Will nothing stop their steady advances into our lives?
An amazing series of articles at Solve Climate News connects thedangerous Keystone XL pipeline to the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, who stand to make ever more billions if this project gets approved.
Tar sands are a type of oil deposit in which sand, clay and water are mixed in with heavy, gooey petroleum (bitumen). It's particularly corrosive to pipelines and much harder to clean up.
Keystone XL's six-state U.S. portion would stretch 1,375 miles through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Leaks of diluted bitumen on that pipeline would threaten the Ogallala Aquifer, a massive underground water source in the Midwest and Great Plains that supports agriculture and provides drinking water for millions.
What could possibly go wrong with a 1,700-mile pipeline
from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico?
Because this is an international pipeline, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's team is tasked with granting a thumbs up or down to TransCanada's request for a presidential permit; a decision is expected in the second half of this year. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has already given his support to the pipeline, even though The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Pipeline Safety Trust, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Sierra Club have all come out against it.
Furthermore, the pipeline won't lower the price of oil. In fact:
TransCanada conducted as part of its Canadian permit application, projected that prices would increase about $3 per barrel as a result of the pipeline.
That would send at least an additional $2 billion from American consumers to Canadian and multinational oil interests, despite the increase in supply. Given its deep involvement in the Canadian petroleum industry, the Koch brothers' operation stands to snare some of the windfall.
UPDATE: At the suggestion of commentor oregonj, I'm adding this link about Clinton's questionable involvement. See oregonj's comment below for more links.
TAKE ACTION! Visit Friends of the Earth to sign their petition against the Keystone XL pipeline. Thanks, marina!