Careful, your toddler is showing.

Oh, you silly TransCanada. I thought you grew up, but then you stuck out your tongue and said "Play my way or I'm taking my ball and going somewhere else to play." As shown in the statement "It's going to go to China if we don't build it here." Yeah, one of our senators said it but it doesn't take much thought to know where he heard that statement first.

 And here I thought TransCanada said it would take too long to re route everything, yet as stated below, in a "mere few weeks" they found a new route.

Some serious spots are showing on these cats.

To further up the nonsense, they want it to look like they aren't the only ones wanting the route. I predict that Montana and North Dakota will become TransCanada's fall guys. See, it's inside your borders! It's not us. We are bowing from pressure within the states to get this built. It's not our fault, guy!

Wait for it...

TransCanada: New route for pipeline nearly done

• Posted: January 11, 2012 at 3:57 pm   

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Canadian company attempting to build a $7 billion pipeline to carry oil from Canada to refineries along the Gulf Coast soon will have a new route that seeks to allay worries of U.S. regulators, a company executive said Wednesday.

Pourbaix and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told North Dakota officials and oil industry representatives that if the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline is not built Canada's oil-sand developers likely would ship the crude to Asia."In a matter of a very few weeks we will have a route that everyone agrees on," said Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada Corp.'s president for energy and oil pipelines.

"It's going to go to China if we don't build it here," Hoven said.

The U.S. State Department in November delayed a decision on granting a permit for Keystone XL, largely because of worries about the pipeline's environmental impact, especially in Nebraska.

Pourbaix said the Calgary-based company has been meeting with U.S. regulators and officials in Nebraska on mapping a new route that will avoid the environmentally sensitive Sandhills area of Nebraska. He would not elaborate.

President Barack Obama signed into law last month a payroll tax bill that contains a Republican-pushed provision for the president to decide by Feb. 21 whether the pipeline is in the national interest.

The disputed route runs through six states from Canada to Texas. So-called feeder pipelines would connect the Keystone XL to rich oil fields in North Dakota and Montana.

TransCanada announced a year ago that it would accept crude from both states, after facing political pressure by oil companies and officials from North Dakota and Montana who had complained that development of the states' oil patches had been hampered by a lack of refineries, pipelines and rail facilities.

Hoeven said the Keystone XL would carry 100,000 barrels of crude daily from North Dakota and Montana. The pipeline would lessen truck traffic in western North Dakota, while improving prices for crude and creating jobs, he said.

Keystone XL Whistleblower

An editorial column by a man who has applied for whistle blower status with the US Dept. of Labor.

By Mike Klink | Posted: Saturday, December 31, 2011 11:50 pm | (13) Comments

There has been a lot of talk about the safety of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

I am not an environmentalist, but as a civil engineer and an inspector for TransCanada during the construction of the first Keystone pipeline, I've had an uncomfortable front-row seat to the disaster that Keystone XL could bring about all along its pathway.

Despite its boosters' advertising, this project is not about jobs or energy security. It is about money. And whenever my former employer Bechtel, working on behalf of TransCanada, had to choose between safety and saving money, they chose to save money.

As an inspector, my job was to monitor the construction of the first Keystone pipeline. I oversaw construction at the pump stations that have been such a problem on that line, which has already spilled more than a dozen times. I am coming forward because my kids encouraged me to tell the truth about what was done and covered up.

When I last raised concerns about corners being cut, I lost my job — but people along the Keystone XL pathway have a lot more to lose if this project moves forward with the same shoddy work.

What did I see? Cheap foreign steel that cracked when workers tried to weld it, foundations for pump stations that you would never consider using in your own home, fudged safety tests, Bechtel staffers explaining away leaks during pressure tests as "not too bad," shortcuts on the steel and rebar that are essential for safe pipeline operation and siting of facilities on completely inappropriate spots like wetlands.

I shared these concerns with my bosses, who communicated them to the bigwigs at TransCanada, but nothing changed. TransCanada didn't appear to care. That is why I was not surprised to hear about the big spill in Ludden, N.D., where a 60-foot plume of crude spewed tens of thousands of gallons of toxic tar sands oil and fouled neighboring fields.

TransCanada says that the performance has been OK. Fourteen spills is not so bad. And that the pump stations don't really count. That is all bunk. This thing shouldn't be leaking like a sieve in its first year — what do you think happens decades from now after moving billions of barrels of the most corrosive oil on the planet?

Let's be clear — I am an engineer; I am not telling you we shouldn't build pipelines. We just should not build this one.

Pipelines can and do stand the test of time, but TransCanada already has shown that they cannot. After working on engineering projects all over the world, I can tell you that a company that cared about safety would not follow these types of practices.

If it were a car, the first Keystone would be a lemon. And it would be far worse to double down on a proven loser with Keystone XL.

The stories of how TransCanada has bullied landowners in Nebraska rings true to me. I am living it, as well. After repeatedly telling the contractor and TransCanada about my concerns, I lost my job.

But I couldn't watch silently as a company put innocent people at risk with a haphazardly built pipeline. I am speaking out on behalf of my children and your children.

Oil spills are no joke. We need to do all we can to protect our water and our food. I am glad the Nebraska Legislature stepped up to protect Nebraskans. I can only hope that they stand up to TransCanada. We should all take a hard look at the damage that this pipeline will do. I should know; I've seen it in person.

Please do not sell out to foreign oil and foreign suppliers. There is no guarantee the product will stay in the United States, only the toxic waste. God bless the United States and those of us who still believe in the fact that her people matter.

Mike Klink of Auburn, Ind.., is seeking whistleblower protection from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Read more: http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/mike-klink-keystone-xl-pipeline-not-safe/article_4b713d36-42fc-5065-a370-f7b371cb1ece.html?mode=story#ixzz1iVrlJfGk

Tiny Steps

U.S. delays massive oil pipeline from Canada




!!!!


For now that's something. I do wonder if it's an attempt to pass the buck or delay the decision. I wonder if they hope people will forget about it, the issue will cool and they will try to slide something by us all. 


We will see what comes. 

D'OH!

Keystone Pipline Temporarily Shut Down After Power Outage

After I heard this on the radio my culminating thought was "HA! Knew it!"

Again, I am uniquely qualified to reassure Trans Canada that power outages do happen a lot. Having gone through a snow storm that took out our power for a week, having to utilize the Red Cross Shelter so our kids could at least get a hot meal (Raman Noodles) and fleeing the area for a couple of days to an empty rental house of a relative, I am well aware of the limitations of the power grid.

During our run, I didn't have my camera with me. The last two pictures are to show examples of what we saw on the road.

My Picture^

A lot of the towers were bent over like this. The weight of the ice on the line plus the weight on the structure bent them like aluminum foil.

So, yeah, a lot of issues going on. Put that on top of the Sand Hills and your just asking for trouble.

SOMEONE is Paying Attention

State Department mulls new route for Canada oil pipeline

Well, well, well. Isn't that interesting. I'll wait and watch before I form an opinion on this one.

Special Session Testimony

Watched the testimony of people against the XL Pipeline or for LB whatever..

Strongest testimony for me was a landowner who has been dealing with Trans Canada since 2007 when she first received notice that they were planning on going through her pasture land. She got two letters. She responded to one letter telling them they could move the route two miles away, off her pasture land, and following Hwy. 283. Their response was a solid no. This was in the planning stage of the pipeline. When they certainly had the time and money to change the route. And still they said "No."

She contacted her federal representatives. They told her they didn't even know what she was talking about because they hadn't heard of the Pipeline. She contacted her local govt. They said it was a federal matter and there was nothing they could do. She was told a lot of crap, actually.

To me, it boils down to Trans Canada never considered the people who live, work and use that land. They wanted to go a certain way and who gives a two bit about anything else. It was going to go that way because you, know, who the hell lives there and cares anyway. It's in the middle of nowhere, right?

With calls to move the route, the company claims that it's too late. All those years of work, they just can't go back and start the re routing process now, it's taken four years! Well, four years ago they had at least one response to please move and even in the beginning they wouldn't. This testimony blew holes through all their excuses.

Trans Canada is being like a petulant, spoiled child who thought the adults weren't paying attention. They found out we ARE paying attention and now they are throwing a fit to still try to get their way. To the executives of Trans Canada I say it's time to grow up. Admit you're wrong. Admit you just wanted to get your way no matter what. Admit you thought it was a done deal before you even informed land owners what you were planning to do. Admit you didn't think it all the way through.

The logic, the facts, the testimony are all there. The more they try to tear apart the logical over whelming evidence, the worse they look.

Occupy Atlanta Protest

Well, they are still out there punching away at the corporate fat cats. Occupy Atlanta Protest Canadian Oil Pipeline.

The executives of this company don't want to go through the process of rerouting. I've been reading comments and it looks like there are Canadians who hate them as much as the protesters. That's gotta say something.

Los Angeles Times Takes Note

It's heating up. I'm shocked and a tad happy that maybe, just maybe, some people will open their eyes and get the clue that I've been railing about since I first heard about this stupid freaking idea.

Oil Project Draws a Divisive Line, L.A. Times: Residents emphasized that they were not opposed to pipelines — just to burying one under the Sandhills. The Sandhills are the biggest undisturbed natural ecosystem in the Great Plains, full of cranes and herons and tundra swans, yet highly vulnerable to erosion when dug up or otherwise disturbed.


SEE! Told 'ya so. Now will Washington listen before the Sandhills are ruined and we all have to say "See, told 'ya so."

Pay No Attention To That Man Behind...

.. the state fair.

Special Session Urged Over Pipeline Route

Posted: Sep 02, 2011 3:14 PM

Updated: Sep 02, 2011 3:14 PM

By Steve White swhite@nebraska.tv
Now that Governor Dave Heineman has come out against the proposed route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, farm groups call for a special session of the unicameral.
Nebraska Farmers Union has been talking with ag producers during the state fair.
They credit the governor for listening to their concerns about putting the pipeline through the Sandhills.
Now NFU President John Hansen calls on the legislature to act.
He said, "The ball really is in the legislature's court. So the legislature needs to go into special session so they can deal with issues and authority of siting and routing."
Officials from TransCanada have said the proposed route is safe. They are calling on the U.S. State Department to OK the plan.
TransCanada is one of the sponsors of this year's state fair.

TransCanadian XL Pipeline

Seeing as how the media is f'ing it all up and trying to politicize the hell out of it I felt the need to clear up what's really going on.

TransCanada proposes to build an oil pipeline across the Ogallalla Aquifer. This is an aquifer that spans from Nebraska to Texas. I think it is the largest aquifer in the world. If not 'the' largest then certainly among the largest. It feeds the farm lands, cattle, people in all these states. These are states that sue each other over water rights. The water cycle is taught  at fairs held for the local children to see how it is cleaned, preserved and used here. It is precious.

It will be a unprecedented disaster if the pipeline pollutes this aquifer.

When I first heard about this proposed pipeline around Feb. or March and saw the route I thought "Are they serious? They can't be that stupid." When the pioneers came to Nebraska, they thought they would have to dig wells a hundred feet or more to get water. I read a story of a guy who took bets on how deep he'd have to go. Imagine his surprise when he hit water at around 20 feet!  This arid, dry grassland with flat water that routinely dried up had easily accessible well water! Not exactly nirvana, but a good thing anyway.

When I was 13 at a family reunion in Halsey, Nebraska, a relative told me they almost lost the sand hills when the ranchers first started out there. They didn't know how to take care of the grass lands yet and they almost lost it all to acres of sand. She told me that it was a delicate balance that they learned to work with to up keep. A DELICATE balance. And they are proposing to build a pipeline right through this balance to carry oil. A pipeline that has had twelve failures in twelve months. 


From the start I think TransCanada knew they were going to get a fight. This is the last bit of pipeline. They were unabashed in the propaganda they tried on the TV. "Midwest" looking folk telling us how the pipeline would be good for Nebraska. Jobs that would be good for Nebraska. Good for the children. It was disgusting and easy to see through. Hell, they even are sponsoring Larry The Cable Guy in order to get on our good side. 


Give me a break. I'm average. I don't play the social game of life too well. Even I can see that they are full of beans. 


This is more than jobs. This is environmental suicide. You pollute that aquifer and you kill agriculture. You kill agriculture and suddenly prices go up at the grocery store. You kill those prices and it gets just that much harder to feed families. Isn't it hard enough already? You poison that much water, you poison the cattle, the plants and the people. You can't put buoys out there to contain it, it's underground! You won't be able to see it until it comes through your pipes and out your faucet. 


Sounds like I'm totally against it? I'm not sure I am. I think the route they choose is ill advised and stupid.  I think the route was chosen because they thought it could be cheaper. They have already put in a pipeline in Eastern Nebraska were there is clay instead of sand. Why the hell don't they just follow what they already did?  Change the route, I say. Just change it.