Posted In: News,
As a registered Republican for over forty years I am appalled at the course of action that my party has chosen to take in regards to the Keystone XL pipeline. The Republicans have decided it’s time to hit the accelerator and ram this project through even without a full and unbiased assessment of its effects on the citizens and environment across the heartland of this nation.
Much to his credit President Obama has heard the voices of those of us who could have our livelihoods and way of life threatened by this project, and he has hit the brakes. If the Keystone XL actually has merit then it should be able to withstand the rigorous and comprehensive review that it deserves, and has not gotten. A flawed environmental study, such as the first one, did very little to ease the minds of those of us who live and work along the proposed pathway.
In regards to jobs, I have been a working man all of my life, and I hate to see anyone who wants to work, out of work; but at what point do you place a few thousand temporary jobs ahead of some of our nation’s most vital natural resources? In a few months these temporary jobs would be long gone, but the risks of this massive pipeline would remain in the heartland of this nation for generations to come. As a grandfather, and someone who is trying to help feed this nation, I’m not willing to make that trade.
The politicians may find the Keystone XL to be some kind of a political game, a political football of sorts, to be casually punted about, but for those of us who live and work along its proposed pathway, it is anything but a game. It is instead viewed as a threat to our way of life that has in many instances taken several generations of work to achieve. If this project were truly in our national interest I’m sure most of us would look at it differently, but it is not, it is nothing more than an export pipeline being built to further enhance the profit margins of the big oil companies. Unfortunately, the big oil companies and their political allies have painted a much different picture of this project for the American public.
As an ordinary citizen I find it distressing that so many of our elected officials are inclined to cater to the needs of their corporate sponsors instead of the people they are supposed to represent. I guess as the Keystone XL saga plays out we’ll know who is truly representing the citizens of this nation.
-Randy Thompson, Nebraska landowner
Comments
January 24th 2012
Bill Hathaway - How do you think oil and oil products having been moving SAFELY for several decades? Sure there are small spills when a section of pipe fails, but they are cleaned up completely and immediately. The alternative is to move it by road and rail which is more expensive and not nearly as safe. There doesn't need to be another study. Temp jobs are not the only jobs brought by the pipeline. Jobs will be there as long as the pipeline is there to inspect and maintain it.
January 24th 2012
Huskerman - Why do you always talk about "temporary" jobs? Arent all road building, or construction jobs by definition temporary? But pwople are always touting about how building infrastructure will add jobs. I'm confused.
January 24th 2012
Bridgett - For a moment...imagine you had to live off the land like people have since the good old days. Would you like to eat something, corn for example, that has been grown on ground that has been contaminated by an oil spill. (Since there is no possible way that every drop of oil can be cleaned up. Would that landowner be compensated for every dollar that he would have made each year that he is not able to use that land? Maybe some people need to be asking the hard questions. I am sure that most people wouldn't consider drinking a glass of oil with their cheerios in the morning. How could a person expect landowner to take this risk if you are not willing to eat or drink products that have been contaminated by oil. It is not just crops that would be at risk!! What about the livestock that eat the grass and drink from these areas? Are people really thinking of the bigger picture? How many spills have already happened with the pipelines they are already have put in? It makes me sad to think that my children and grandchildren could be at risks due to people that are just worried about money not what is best for the people that live where they want the pipeline to be. Please just think about it.....What is truly the best solution to this situation?
January 25th 2012
Ned - Yeah, "cleaned up quickly and completely" like Exxon Valdez and the Yellowstone River. What kind of drug-fueled propaganda have you been eating? And since you've admitted the project is only worth a few thousand temporary jobs at best, then why did that lying sack of sh*t, Mitch Daniels, inflate that to "tens of thousands" of jobs in his BS speech tonight, more grossly inflated even than every other Republican huckster for Big Oil? Wake up and smell the coffee. The guy who wrote this article is dead-on in his assessment of the dangers of this reckless project, the only purpose of which is to fatten the wallets of a few greedy pigs who already have far too much, at the expense of millions of people who have far too little.
January 25th 2012
suz luebbe - Thanks Randy!! When these people walk on our side of the fence maybe then they would understand what working 12-15 hour days mean. Give up the boat and fancy car payments. There are so many jobs that need to be filled up here for farmers, ranchers, nurses aids etc that these jobs could be filled up with these union workers "out of a job" that are receiving what seems like a permanent paycheck for piss'n and moaning from the state. Guess where that money comes from? There's a lot more the landowners along the path could be mad about too, so get off our backs. Come out here and work for 30 days straight and then and only then will you understand why we fight so hard.
January 25th 2012
cameron - They need the project as it is far better than trying to cross the Rockies. The ones I believe are the UNL academics that have studied the pipeline and the fact that there are 2000 miles of pipeline already through the sandhills. Also, in the original route the pipeline only goes through the eastern edge of the sandhills. The new route has much higher risk as there are 47 open waterways the pipeline must cross. Surface tension limits potential contamination, while a lack of suface tension can spread contamination over a large area. Believe in science, not rhetoric. Science says build the pipeline through the original route as the safest route. Science also says building the pipeline is far more environmentally friendly than not from a carbon release aspect. Bottom line is any objective analysis says you, Bold NE, and Randy are all wrong. Why you are continuing to spew wrong analysis is out of deception, ignorance, or stupidity. I'm trying to get the real facts to your followers rather than emotional rhetoric that has no basis on facts. Reality is the pipeline will eventually be approved, but not after damaging relations with our number 1 ally and trading partner. Again, be objective, look at the facts, the studies, the impartiality of those whom have studied the aquifer for their professional lives and see no significant risk. Look at history. And, if you really want to protect the aquifer, the larges threat is the growing of corn in the sandhills which will eventually drain the aquifer dry. Believe it or not the real villins posing a real threat to the aquifer are the farmers that are abusing it for corn ethanol production (which is a net negative for the environment).
January 25th 2012
Ron - Nice post, Randy. I am proud to be one of those “ignorant, stupid, and deceived” Nebraskans who know that the recent pipelines through the state and Sand Hills were suppose to be for natural gas. That crude oil isn't the same as chemically thinned tar sands derived oil, and the chemicals are proprietary and kept unknown by the company. That our roads and bridges are publicly owned, inspected and maintained. That the Alaska pipeline caused economic chaos for many sectors after the crews left. That the oil industry isn't a respecter of land owners, and governments. That “business as usual” will recreate the house of cards that fell apart in 2008. That Independent studies means more than sponsored ones. That time must be spent to thoroughly review such massive undertakings, to insure the public is protected and all responsibilities conveyed on the company are legally enforceable. Whatever I may be called by opponents, as an independent Nebraskan, I wear their slanders with pride. They come from insidiously disrespectful people.
January 25th 2012
Gary - The Republicans who are trying to ram the XL pipeline through have taken so much money in political contributions from energy companies, they must feel obliged to use Keystone as a tool against President Obama's administration. I doubt they care at all about farmer/rancher's rights or the environmental risks at stake. They are like whores to big oil. But, the Cornfinger of the day goes to...Nebraska's own, Lee Terry. Regarding the 2000 miles of existing pipeline, none of them are pumping caustic, corrosive diluted bitumen at high temperature and high pressure. Ask the people along the Kalamazoo river how it went after the Enbridge pipeline spilled over 800,000 gallons of dilbit into their river and wetlands. Not a pretty site. Of the 1,500 barrels of oil Exxon Mobile spilled into the Yellowstone River at Laurel, MT, only 1% was recovered. So much for being cleaned "quickly and completely". A little benzene does wonders to reduce surface tension, Cameron. They all leak! Stand with Randy. No Keystone XL pipeline! across my state.
January 25th 2012
David Calvo - The native Nebraskans have this right. Thank You, Randy for your treasured comments.
January 25th 2012
Don - Bill, what you say is just not always true. Enbridge ruined the Kalamazoo River about 18 months ago. We do not need this liquid asphalt. Thirty years from now, we will have a leaky aging 36 inch pipe carrying this bitumen to the Texas refineries so that it can be sold by foreigners to other foreigners. The maintenance jobs are not worth it. We will not need it. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/01/federal_investigation_into_kal.html