The Prairie Healer: Why I Stand with Randy on the Pipeline

I’ve been following and supportive of opposing this issue for the better part of a year, but I’d like share with you why I stand with landowners like Randy on opposing Transcanada’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.

And regardless of your feelings about Big Oil, regardless of your political affiliation and regardless of your love (or lack of) for the environment, this is a cause I feel deserves to be given some light.

When I first heard about the activism behind this issue, I was outraged. The more I learned about it, the more important it felt for me to try to stay informed. I can’t always participate in the efforts to shed light on the situation or put pressure on state government. Activism itself isn’t my style, but this is an issue that I can’t help but try to assist by being a megaphone to inform people.

In a nutshell, here are the major issues I have with this proposed pipeline:

The Nebraska Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer

This is an ecological disaster waiting to happen. We need to protect our land and water at all costs. The Sandhills are a fragile ecosystem that cannot withstand the weight of the equipment needed to install the pipeline and is not the same as soil when it comes to an oil spill. Add the fact that this pipeline will sit directly above the world’s largest underground lake, the Ogallala Aquifer.

Nebraska draws 80% of our drinking and irrigation water from the aquifer, it supports our largest industry, agriculture. We need to protect our way of life for generations to come. Yes, they say they will clean it up.

Here’s what a tar sands oil spill clean up in Michigan looks like 14 months later:

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Eminent domain and the threats against landowners by a foreign company.

No foreign entity has the legal right to threaten landowners or present information in a way that provides “no other choice” to landowners in the freest country in the world. Period. We, as Americans, should not tolerate it.

The lack of state regulations to control the situation and the lack of leadership from our governor who denies that he can do what other states can and do to protect their land.

Already other states have implemented regulations to attempt to control situations resulting from a pipeline being built in their state, proactively anticipating issues. Why is our state government ok with lying down and letting them do what they want? Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has repeatedly denied there is anything he can do. He has continually maintained there are only 2 people who can stop this pipeline: President Obama and Sec. Clinton. It wasn’t until Republican Senator Mike Johanns had spoken out for months wanting more information, did he finally concede with one weak attempt to ask Obama to deny the pipeline.

Promise of jobs

Nebraskans, I ask you to please not fall for this. This is like “No new taxes” and “Economic Development” during elections. Unless, of course, you support the building of as many pipelines across the state as Transcanada wants. We have businesses in Omaha chomping at the bit saying this project is “shovel ready.” The jobs will be short-term in terms of constructing and installing the pipeline. Then, guess what? These workers will be displaced and unneeded as Transcanada can monitor oil spills remotely – yet somehow promise to react quickly.

Claims of increased national security

Frankly, the more I read this one, the more I don’t understand it. NAFTA and other trade agreements strengthen our relationship with Canada. Both countries governments are responsible for strengthening our relationship with Canada. It seems a little sinister and Big Oil related to me, but we should be exploring partnerships for alternative energy sources as the 5th windiest in the nation. This would be considered more of a sustainable future interest for our state.

The oil isn’t for the U.S. and doesn’t decrease our dependency on foreign oil.

TransCanada has plans to get access to all of our ports so they can sell oil to other countries. China is often cited as the country that wants the oil. Canada also has regulations in place around greenhouse gas emissions and tribal land that prohibit TransCanada from refining and shipping tarsands from their ports.

Bold Nebraska has continued to be THE source for information in Nebraska about this issue. I encourage you to check out the numerous resources they list HERE. But, I also encourage you to do your own research.

Here are some recent headlines:

Nelson Calls for Certification by Governors of Keystone XL Pipeline Route