About an hour ago, I watched SD House vote in favor of a resolution of support for the XL Pipeline. I assume the resolutions are worth a bit less than a pitcher of warm spit in DC, but why would any SD legislator support a pipeline by a foreign company expressly designed to move crude oil out of the midwest and drive up the price of gasoline and diesel fuel here?
Trans-Canada told Bloomberg business news that the primary benefit of the XL pipeline would be to get crude oil out of the midwest where there is a glut of oil which is depressing gasoline and diesel prices. Trans-Canada expressed the goal was to raise gasoline and diesel fuel prices by 10 to 20 cents per gallon.
The pipeline also crosses a number of waterways in SD which feed into the Missouri River. It also runs dangerously close to the acquifers supplying Tripp and surrounding counties and also Winner and Colome and possibly Gregory. The pipeline spokespeople here in Winner with their SDPUC dog and pony show claimed that the heavy tar sands crude would not spread from a pipeline leak. What they failed to mention were the solvents and petroleum products needed to make the oil flow in the pipeline. Who knows what chemicals they will use, but I would like to hear an unbiased chemist or petroleum engineer who environmental scientist discuss the chemicals and their dispersion in underground and surface water in the event of pipeline leaks.
I hope the press with investigative resources will carefully check all SD legislator's contributions from the fossil fuels industry, petroleum companies, lobbying groups fronting for the oil industry, and the refining companies hoping to increase prices.
This resolution stinks and the legislators who support this are not reprsenting the people of South Dakota who drink water or buy gasoline or diesel fuel. They are doing more for the Chinese and the Canadians than for South Dakotans, or Montanans, or North Dakotans, or Nebraskans.
*** Stay tuned, but seriously consider electric vehicles or very, very fuel efficient other vehicles-- Doug Wiken
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