Deck stacked for Keystone XL

 Posted by at 12:02 am  Politics
Oct 092011
 

I haven’t spent much time on the Keystone XL pipeline, except to voice opposition, because that issue has received lots of coverage due to the many high profile arrests of environmentally conscious celebrities outside the White House.  However, I was very disappointed to learn that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), produced for Hillary Clinton’s State Department, was fraudulently prepared and probably not worth the paper it’s written on.

9pipelineThe State Department has admitted their environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline was conducted by a contractor paid for by the pipeline company itself, a potentially illegal conflict of interest first reported by ThinkProgress Green. The Canadian tar sands company TransCanada has applied to construct a major pipeline through the United States to pump tar sands crude to Texas refineries for the international oil market, and is awaiting approval by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. The State Department’s approval hinges upon a positive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), required by the National Environmental Policy Act to assess whether the pipeline is in the national interest.

A State Department official has admitted to the New York Times that the EIS was conducted by a company chosen and paid by TransCanada itself, flouting NEPA’s conflict-of-interest rules:

[Kerri-Ann Jones, the assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs] said that TransCanada had managed the bidding process and recommended three candidates with Cardno Entrix topping the list. The department vetted Cardno Entrix by consulting with other agencies like the Bureau of Land Management. TransCanada pays the consultant directly, but would not reveal the amount.

That Entrix was contracted by TransCanada to conduct the EIS first reported by ThinkProgress Green, now confirmed by the New York Times… [emphasis original]

Inserted from <Think Progress>

This is an outrage.  The pipeline should not be approved, by law, until and unless cleared by a valid EIS, prepared by scientists who are not paid to parrot the company’s lies.  In my opinion, an honest EIS would disqualify the Keystone XL pipeline.  I encourage environmental groups to file suit to prevent approval of the pipeline based on a bogus EIS.

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  9 Responses to “Deck stacked for Keystone XL”

  1. For a quick primer on Keystone XL, see the LA Times article below.  I fear this is a done deal due to the political and economic pressures.  Care2 had an article just last week stating that the pipeline is a sham because once the oil gets to Texas and refined, it will be shipped overseas.  WTF?  I fired off a hot email to Secretary Clinton, which I’m confident will have a  major impact.  I’m with you Tom, a lawsuit is the only thing that’s going to derail this monster.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trans-canada-pipeline-20111003,0,702487.story

  2. Well, that was a world class fuck up.

  3. When Greed is the god they worship, only devastation and ruin will follow in its Path! GOP > Greed Over People! Greese Our Pockets!

  4. Somebody forgot that the BLM stands for the Bureau of Land Mismanagement.  The fact that the BLM was consulted doesn’t give me any comfort.  They along with the BOEMRE supported the permits to Shell Oil for Arctic Ocean drilling.

    I heard a short blurb on the radio a few days ago where the CEO of TransCanada Pipeline was saying that he didn’t expect this to be such a contentious issue.  He was surprised.  In a pig’s eye!  What did he expect when a pipeline was going to go through some of the most environmentally sensitive areas?  He was probably counting on people being more concerned about employment opportunities given the high unemployment rate.  Was it in the LA Times that they said there was another route that doesn’t go through areas that are as environmentally sensitive?  Whay no EIS on that route too?  TransCanada probably feels the cost is to high.  People are not willing to roll over and play dead!  No more!

    And that TransCanada Pipeline was allowed to control the process for obtaining and paying for the EIS is absolutely astounding.  At best it is ethically unconscionable.  At worst it is criminal.  In the Canadian mortgage industry, at least with banks and credit unions, a property appraisal is ordered and arranged by the bank but paid for by the customer in many cases, although institutions are more often picking up that fee for marketing purposes. Doing it this way reduces the likelihood of collusion.  And so it should be with the EIS. 

    I understand those who see the employment opportunities.  I’ve been out of work for almost 3 years (wisdom comes from maturity, employment runs the other direction!) and I want to work.  But we cannot sell our souls to the big oil companies for a few pieces of silver.

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