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The Gazette Opinion StaffOpinion Page Editor, The Gazette |
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Keystone XL Pipeline poses threats to water
My wife and I are protesting the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. If built, the pipeline would carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. The project poses a major threat to water supplies on both sides of the border.
The Keystone XL would cut diagonally across Montana and the Nebraska Sand Hills — a delicate region of porous, sandy soils. It also would cross the Ogallala Aquifer, an underground reservoir of importance for agriculture that also provides drinking water for 2 million people. A pipeline leaking diluted bitumen into groundwater could have disastrous consequences.
NASA climatologist Jim Hansen has said that if we have any chance of getting back to a stable climate, “ … coal emissions must be phased out by 2030 and unconventional fossil fuels, such as tar sands, must be left in the ground.” The ultimate decision to grant or deny approval for the project lies with President Obama.
And as Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and a leading environmental writer, has said, “This is a stark choice for the administration to make.“
Hansen and McKibben were among the first who put out the initial call to action, have been joined by 28 leading environmental groups. We’re going to D.C. to take part in this act of civil disobedience.
We urge others to take part with letters, emails and phone calls to the administration.
John Christenson
Iowa City
Do you protest the dozens of other pipelines that cross the state of Iowa? After all, all pipelines could fail. Do you know the constuction and saftey checks?
Have lived in Iowa all my life, in the same general location for 6 decades, I see alot of climate cycle, not climate change. Biggest change I see is urbanization, how much do you think that has to do with cycles?
Oh geez….another letter in protest of the keystone pipeline….you enviro nuts are one of the biggest reasons this country is in the shape it’s in……ever wonder why Canada has such a robust economy….it’s because they send us their oil,lumber,gas.etc,etc,things we have here in this country ….and they extract those resources in an environmentally safe manner…..unlike the USA…..Canada does not bow to all the special intrest groups that want to stifle our economy…..JOHN…..there are hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines in this country…how come you all of a sudden took an intrest in this one…is there an enviro form letter floating around…..you should be classified as a traitor to this country….if America does not buy that oil from Canada…China is drooling at the chance to buy it…and Canada said if the USA don’t make up it mind soon they will sell it to china….I’m sure that’s why Obamer is dragging his arse…..seems he’s more interested in their prosperity than ours….
If you REALY must worry about a pipeline….maybe you should be worrying about the gas lines in any city thats had gas for over fifty years….what do you think those lines look like by now….
John is obviously someone with too much time on his hands and desperately wants to make a difference, or meet some chicks.