TransCanada Announces Plan to Circumvent Environmental Review to Build Rejected Tar Sands Pipeline in US

WASHINGTON, DC – TransCanada, the company behind the rejected Keystone XL tar sands pipeline sent a letter to the US State Department announcing its intention to circumvent US environmental review and build the southern portion of the proposed crude oil pipeline from Cushing, OK, to Port Arthur, TX. In the month since President Obama denied the permit the company has undertaken an unprecedented lobbying and public relations effort to gain approval for the pipeline.

In response, Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, issued the following statement:
“TransCanada is hell bent on bringing tar sands, the world’s dirtiest oil, through America to reach foreign markets. They can’t wait for a fair, scientific environmental review they know their pipeline would fail. So we see dirty political tricks, dirty PR tricks, and, now, this dirty trick to build the pipeline piecemeal.

“With TransCanada it’s ‘safety last.’ The first US Keystone pipeline averaged a leak a month. But the company can’t wait to divert tar sands crude oil from the Midwest to the Gulf, raising American oil prices and, likely, also gasoline prices. This Oklahoma to Texas segment of the Keystone XL pipeline will mean more tar sands converted to diesel and available for export overseas.

 “With this announcement TransCanada is telling the Americans that it is above the law. The company did not expect public scrutiny on this project, but the American people are watching and we are unwilling to sacrifice American farmers and ranchers, and the drinking water for millions of Americans whose water supplies lie below or downstream of this dangerous pipeline.”

Keystone XL: the drunk guest at the party that just won't leave.....

Uncertain Gains and Certain Losses

Should the pipeline move forward, the only certain winners would be the Canadian and American oil companies that build and maintain it. The number of jobs that would be produced is the subject of great debate. And the income from future oil revenue is so uncertain, the pipeline is even opposed by some fiscal conservatives.

The losses, however, are clear:

• The process begins with a massive strip-mining operation in Alberta that turns wildlife-rich boreal forest into a barren petro-landscape. Undisturbed, this forest absorbs and stores massive quantities of carbon. Destroy the forest, and that carbon stays airborne.
• The mined tar sands must then be cooked, using natural gas, to separate the petroleum from the sand. This leads to dramatic new sources of greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional oil refining.
• The pipeline will cross 70 rivers and streams, including the Missouri, Platte, Yellowstone, and Arkansas. It crosses aquifers on which millions of Americans rely for drinking water and agricultural irrigation. The likelihood of pipeline leaks and spills is near certain.

Money Talks in Washington

So why is there this much pressure to keep the pipeline alive? It’s about money. It’s about the $145 million that the oil industry poured into Washington lobbying firms in 2011 alone. It’s about the $22,500,000 in campaign contributions made to Congressional candidates in 2010-11.

H.R. 7 the Worst Environmental Bill = tries to push thru Keystone XL, open the Artic Wildlife Refuge, cut public transportation, safe biking and walking programs = this is Congress for the Corporation not We the PEOPLE!!!

In less than 24 hours, dozens of environmental and progressive groups came together to send 500,000 emails to the Senate against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. It worked -- Congress heard from nearly 800,000 Americans, from all 50 states.

This is huge. After feeling that grassroots pressure, the Senate has postponed the Keystone XL vote for the second time this month. But there's an even worse bill in the House of Representatives up for a vote this month -- and it's up to you to make sure the House feels the same pressure the Senate did.

H.R. 7 could be the worst environmental bill we see all year. Call your Representative today and let them know: Valentine's Day is over. No more sweetheart deals for Big Oil.

House Republicans are using crucial transportation legislation to push through not just Keystone XL but also drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, deep cuts to public transportation and safe biking and walking programs, and attacks on bedrock environmental protections.

Instead, this legislation should be about giving Americans clean transportation choices that move us beyond oil -- a dirty fuel that spills out of pipelines and wells, threatens our national security, and contributes more to climate change and smog than any other fossil fuel.

It's true that Big Oil has millions of dollars to spend lobbying the Hill. But we have 1.4 million supporters and members -- and as we've seen time and time again, when we stand together, voices can speak louder than money.