Despite $100s of millions spent to obfuscate the issue, the reality of the Keystone XL pipeline is that it is NOT in the U.S. national interest.
Keystone XL will:
- Increase climate risks
- Worsen environmental damage in Alberta, CA, due to increased tar sands exploitation
- Lead to increased gasoline and diesel prices for most Americans
- Put American economic competitiveness at a disadvantage (due to increased pressure on US fuel prices and lower pressure on world oil prices)
- Undermine investments in a clean-energy future
- Undermine and discredit any U.S. efforts to lead on climate change issues internationally
Keystone XL will NOT have all the miraculous benefits that the Koch Brothers, American Petroleum Institute, Faux News, Grand Oil Party elites, and other fossil-foolish interests are claiming.
Additionally, for Democratic Party interests, the answer is even starker: Approving Keystone XL will further enrich and empower those who are spending recklessly (thank you SCOTUS and Citizens United) to undermine American democracy. Not least of which is the Koch Brothers, who will likely benefit to the tune of $billions in additional wealth if Keystone XL is approved.
This point, of course, is not one that should sway the Department of State analysis of the project ... but it should impassion you to add your voice to the discussion.
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XL Pipeline "Public Comments" Blogathon: March 3-7, 2014
Let your voice be heard by opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The deadline for submission of comments is March 7, 2014.
Writing public comments in opposition to the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline is as easy as posting comments at Daily Kos. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard directly to the White House without interference by the media, lobbyists or the GOP. We have until March 7 to express our views on whether or not building the big tar sands pipeline is in the vital national interest of the United States.
In the past, public comments have absolutely made a difference. Please don't delay as it is the last opportunity to affect this public debate. Submit your comments today.
For more helpful tips, please consult "Tips for Submitting Effective Comments" at regulations.gov, the website where you will be posting your comments. Additional details about some of the guest diarists are in this diary by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse.
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All of us should add our voices to the State Department comment period. After the fold is an overview of some of the reasons and arguments that you might choose to make.
In short, the question the Department of State must answer:
Is Keystone XL in the U.S. national interest?
And, more briefly, the answer:
No.
With more complete explanations below, here are just some of the reasons why Keystone XL is a reckless, dangerous, and counter-productive project that should not be allowed to proceed.
In short, Keystone XL would
- Contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions;
- Foster accelerated damage to one of the most important carbon sinks;
- Create risks for water sources;
- Facilitate expansion of the most destructive industrial project on earth;
- Increase spill risks of extremely difficult to clean-up and damaging Dilbit in extremely sensitive ecosystems;
- Divert resources from efforts to reduce American and global dependence on fossil fuels;
- Threaten employment;
- Damage economic performance;
- Threaten American health;
- Increase gas prices for much of the American Heartland;
- Increase profitability of oil interests ripping up the boreal forests by taking money out of Americans' pockets; and,
- Damage American leadership around the globe as we struggle to mitigate climate change.
If this seems a long list, it is.
Despite the $10s ($100s) of millions spent on partial truths, disinformation, and propaganda, the fundamental facts demonstrate that this project should not go forward, that it is counter to U.S. national interest.
Crippling drought. Devastating wildfires. Superstorm Sandy. Climate has come home – and the American people get it.
The first step to putting our country on the path to addressing the climate crisis is for President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. His legacy as president will rest squarely on his response, resolve, and leadership in solving the climate crisis.
Let us take a moment to 'review' the bidding as to why Keystone XL pipeline is not in the national interest.
Thus, a simple question as to Keystone XL:
Why not?
The
Keystone XL pipeline would
- Ease expansion of environmentally devastating tar sands oil exploitation.
- Worsen prospects for mitigating climate change
- Threaten Americans' health
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- "The Keystone XL could have a significant impact on the health of communities in the tar sands production areas along its route and refinery fence line communities where the heavy sour crude will be processed. In addition, the emissions from tar sands will exacerbate climate change which affects public health much more broadly even than the widespread direct impacts of the tar sands industry."
- Lead to increased fuel prices for significant numbers of Americans
- Currently, tar sands imported into the United States are refined mainly in Upper Midwest refineries and oversupply of fuel products there have lead to a lowered crude fuel and consumer prices for much of the Upper Midwest when compared to global oil prices. Keystone XL would move this fuel into the international market and out of American fuel tanks.
- In fact, tar sands exploiters would see their profits go up, with that cash picked out of American citizens' pockets.
- Create increased risks of oil pipeline spills
- The first Keystone pipeline, which is relatively new, has had a large number of leaks.
- Keystone XL would go through sensitive areas where a pipeline leak could impact sensitive environmental areas and numerous Americans' health.
- The product, called Dilbit, is much more dangerous and difficult to clean up in the event of a spill. Even the most cursory look at the industry's record leads to a simple conclusion: pipeline spills will occur.
- Threaten employment
- Hurt America's prospects for achieving a clean energy future
- The pipeline would divert attention and resources from other paths and opportunities.
- The pipeline's approval feeds into a 'drill, baby, drill' mentality that fundamentally fails that increased production is counter to achieving energy security.
- Undermine America's ability to lead internationally.
- Addressing climate change will require difficult decisions by individuals, communities, businesses, and nations. Due to the $100s of billions involved and the power of polluting industries, the correct decision that rejecting Keystone XL is the right thing to do for U.S. national interest has become a difficult decision to make. If the United States is to be a world leader in addressing climate change and if the United States is to have any credibility in asking others to make difficult choices, the United States must show that it can make the correct decision even when it is difficult. As Professor John Abraham put it,
If we don't say no now, when will we say no?
Very simply, oil industry lobbyist claims to the contrary,
the Keystone XL pipeline is not in the U.S. national interest.
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Keystone XL Pipeline "Public Comments" Blogathon: March 3-7, 2014
The public comment period for the National Interest Determination ends on March 7, 2014. We have a coalition seeking public comments to oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline.
You can write your own comment to post at regulations.gov. Or, you can copy from one of the comment templates available from the list below. It's preferrable to tweak the template a little with your own words so that it does not resemble a boilerplate comment.
Let your voice be heard by opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The deadline for submission of comments is March 7, 2014.
350.org
Bold Nebraska
Center for Biological Diversity
CCAN or Chesapeake Climate Action Network
CREDO
Energy Action Coalition
Environmental Action
Friends of the Earth
League of Conservation Voters
Moms Clean Air Force
Montana Environmental Information Center
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Northern Plains Resource
Oil Change International
Rainforest Action Network
Sierra Club
Our Daily Kos community organizers are Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, rb137, JekyllnHyde, citisven, peregrine kate, John Crapper, Aji, and Kitsap River, with Meteor Blades serving as the group's adviser.
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