Posted on 08/31/2011 4:16:39 PM PDT by throwback
Nebraska's governor urged U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday to block TransCanada's planned Keystone oil pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast, saying it could hurt a regional water source.
The State Department could issue a presidential permit for the $7 billion project, which would boost U.S. dependence on Canada's controversial oil sands. Momentum for Keystone picked up last week after the department said the project would have only limited impact on the environment.
The State Department should deny the permit on the grounds that the line could put the Ogallala Aquifer at risk, the Midwestern state's governor, Dave Heineman, said in a letter to the president and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The aquifer in Nebraska is a main source of water for farmlands in the Midwest.
The State Department said in last week's environmental review that an oil spill from the line would affect a limited area in Nebraska's Sand Hills region, which is part of the High Plains aquifer.
Heineman said he does not oppose pipelines in general, but disagreed about the risks.
"This resource is the lifeblood of Nebraska's agriculture industry," he said in the letter. "I am concerned that the proposed pipeline will potentially have detrimental effects on this valuable natural resource and Nebraska's economy."
Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns echoed Heineman's request. "The proposed route is the wrong route. It's clear to me, after traveling throughout the state, that most Nebraskans agree a better route is needed," Johanns said in a release.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
unbelievable.
I am surprised they even had a plan for this Keystone pipeline. Oh look for EPA or some other job killing buddy of White House to do so.
Controversial? By Lib AP writers?
Dependence on Canadian oil...? vs. Saudi or Libyan oil?
This is insanity.
Is this reverse psychology. Oppose the pipeline so that BO is more likely to approve it?
Yeah, big red state. Go figure. Poverty. On it’s way, guaranteed.
Obama is saving this for some poll numbers
The greatest threat to the Ogallala aquifier is ethanol.
The oil pipeline is a threat to ethanol production.
Tell the states that the pipeline passes through that they will be paid royalties per million gallons and see what happens.
What is it that is very rapidly making Americans suicidal , economically suicidal !?
Gaiai ? The proven false Anthropogenic Global Warming Big Lie ? Some form of guilt about something ?
How about this, Canada turns the pipe to the left coast and sells the oil to Japan, Taiwan , China and the USA can simply wither on the vine and become a 3rd world s**t-hole ?
You got it!
Problem is..a lot of people dont.
No sense what-so-ever these days.
I just got done with my congressman the other day who seems to think that no thought should be given to anything anymore. And he is a freshman. I told him in politics and in congress the one thing he must do is always think. Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Nebraska can build a secondary pipeline through the Sand Hills. An oil pipe condom for safety and protection.
realli?
Thanks
* I agree that it smells like the Nebraskans are having a case of the NIMBYs, but
* FReepers seem to be commenting without actually considering the facts.
Is the current route proposal the best one? I sure as heck don't know, and most commenters probably don't either. Is there another reasonable route? What is the cost/benefit difference between them?
Those are the kind of questions & answers I would hope to see to form an intelligent opinion on the matter. Of course the Reuters article doesn't illuminate.
“Controversial” is one of those MSM giveaway terms that they use to shape political narratives. “Controversial” is always applied to beliefs and figures opposed to the Left. You’ll never hear, fox example, global warming called “controversial.”
I would imagine the chances of a pipeline spill affecting the Ogallala aquifer in a meaningful fashion are next to nil. Unless it’s a catastrophic break and all monitoring and containment safeguards fail there would be no chance. This sounds more like ill-informed hysteria.
“The greatest threat to the Ogallala aquifier is ethanol.
The oil pipeline is a threat to ethanol production.”
You nailed it!
NIMBYism is one of those luxuries that you’d never see in, for example, China. It’s yet another advantage they have over us.
As a supporter of Heineman, I’m surprised. He must be getting a LOT of heat from the “Windmills - Not Oil Spills” crowd. The leader of the “Windmills” group is Jane Kleeb...and she’s a left wing wacko!!!!
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