[GPSCC-chat] Fw: Fw: GP RELEASE Green Party challenges US State Dept. on Keystone XL pipeline, citing ethics & spill dangers
Caroline Yacoub
carolineyacoub at att.net
Tue Apr 2 09:18:02 PDT 2013
Please send a copy of the letter--or your own strongly worded letter--to your
representative, senator, and president.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Spencer Graves <spencer.graves at prodsyse.com>
To: Caroline Yacoub <carolineyacoub at att.net>
Cc: Jim Doyle <j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net>; Drew <rainbeaufriend at yahoo.com>; Betsy
Wolf-Graves <betsy237 at prodsyse.com>; John Thielking <pagesincolor at yahoo.com>
Sent: Tue, April 2, 2013 2:01:28 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: GP RELEASE Green Party challenges US State Dept. on Keystone XL
pipeline, citing ethics & spill dangers
On 4/2/2013 12:48 AM, Caroline Yacoub wrote:
While this is a strongly worded letter from THE Green Party, it is only
addressed to one official, and it is only one letter. Wouldn't it have more
impact if every Green group in the country sent it to, oh, say, the president or
appropriate members of Congress?
>
Would you mind forwarding this to GPSCC <sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org> --
plus all your relatives and friends not on this list -- asking all to contact
their US Representative and 2 US Senators (Boxer and Feinstein for your
California contacts)?
Spencer
Caroline Yacoub
>
>
>----- Forwarded Message ----
>From: shane que hee <squehee at ucla.edu>
>Sent: Tue, April 2, 2013 12:29:26 AM
>Subject: GP RELEASE Green Party challenges US State Dept. on Keystone XL
>pipeline, citing ethics & spill dangers
>
>
>Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 22:37:23 -0700
>>Subject: GP RELEASE Green Party challenges US State Dept. on Keystone XL
>>pipeline, citing ethics & spill dangers
>>From: dcsgpnews10 <dcsgpnews10 at gmail.com>
>>
>>
>>GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
>>http://www.gp.org
>>
>>For Immediate Release:
>>Tuesday, April 2, 2013
>>
>>Contacts:
>>Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-904-7614, mclarty at greens.org
>>Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at gp.org
>>
>>
>>Green Party challenges US State Dept. on conflict of interest in consultant's
>>environmental impact statement for Keystone XL pipeline
>>
>>• Greens note recent pipeline ruptures, including Friday's Canadian crude-oil
>>spill in Arkansas
>>
>>• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on environmental
>>issues: http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-ecological.php
>>
>>
>>WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States has sent the U.S. State
>>Department a strongly worded objection to TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL
>>pipeline.
>>
>>The letter, appended below, cites environmental concerns as well as the conflict
>>of interest that compromises the draft environmental impact statement on which
>>the Obama Adminstration may base its decision on the pipeline.
>>
>>The statement, prepared by fossil fuel consultant Environmental Resources
>>Management, was paid for by TransCanada, a probable violation of legal and
>>ethical standards.
>>
>>The letter to the State Department, which mentions a July 2011 ExxonMobil
>>pipeline rupture that dumped 63,000 gallons of Canadian crude oil into the
>>Yellowstone River in Montana, was sent just as news was breaking on Friday's
>>ExxonMobil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas, after a pipeline carrying Canadian
>>crude oil ruptured
>>(http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57577164/homes-evacuated-after-exxonmobil-oil-pipeline-spill-in-arkansas/
>> ).
>>
>>The Green Party has taken a strong stand against the tar-sands oil pipelines:
>>see "Green Party urges national protest against the proposed Keystone XL and
>>Trailbreaker pipelines" (January 31, 2013,
>>http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=583) and "Greens to participate in
>>the Feb. 17 protest in DC against the Keystone XL Pipeline, after the Green
>>Party endorses the event" (February 13, 2013,
>>http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=588).
>>
>>U.S. Department of State
>>Attn: Genevieve Walker, NEPA Coordinator
>>2201 C Street NW, Room 2726
>>Washington, D.C. 20520
>>http://www.keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/
>>keystonecomments at state.gov
>>
>>Dear Ms. Walker:
>>
>>The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) registers its opposition to the
>>draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) released by the U.S.
>>State Department (DOS) for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project
>>on both ethical and environmental grounds.
>>
>>
>>First, GPUS understands that DOS, which was responsible for reviewing the
>>project on behalf of the federal government and lacking the in-house expertise
>>to do so, recruited fossil fuel consultant Environmental Resources Management
>>(ERM) to draft the required environmental impact statement. GPUS is concerned
>>about the conflict of interest presented by the fact that TransCanada paid ERM
>>an undisclosed sum to produce the SEIS. While it may be commonplace for
>>industries to pay consultants to review projects subject to U.S. government
>>approval, the scale of this project and its potential adverse environmental
>>impact required DOS to hire a consultant with no financial ties to the project
>>sponsor. In other words, the consultant hired to draft the SEIS should have been
>>paid by DOS, not TransCanada.
>>
>>
>>GPUS also deplores the fact that DOS omitted the amount TransCanada paid ERM
>>from documents published on its website, as indicated by a Grist article
>>published on March 6, 2013:
>>
>>http://grist.org/article/state-department-keystone-xl-report-actually-written-by-transcanada-contractor/
>>
>>
>>The failure of DOS to report what TransCanada paid ERM shows more than the
>>appearance of a conflict of interest. DOS' deliberate withholding of information
>>relevant to the SEIS is contrary even to the de minimis legal standards
>>governing conflict of interest in the U.S.today and constitutes a betrayal of
>>public trust.
>>
>>Second, ERM's conclusion that the project has no significant environmental
>>impact, because tar sands crude will be transported one way or the other or that
>>other alternatives may produce even more impacts, turns the National
>>Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on its head. NEPA requires an assessment of the
>>project's benefits in light of its own costs, not just the costs of some other
>>proposed project, such as transporting diluted bitumin (dilbit) by rail car
>>instead of pipe.
>>
>>
>>Furthermore the costs of pipeline spills from crude oil consisting of benzene
>>laced dilbit have already been documented. "Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks"
>>issued by NRDC, NWF, Pipeline Safety Trust and the Sierra Club in February,
>>2011, reported that a July, 2010 pipeline rupture dumped 840,000 gallons of
>>dilbit into Michigan's Kalamazoo River, causing 60 percent of the people in the
>>vicinity to experience "respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms
>>consistent with acute exposure to benzene and other petroleum related
>>chemicals." The spill required "over 150,000 feet of boom, 175 heavy spill
>>response trucks, 43 boats, and 48 oil skimmers" to clean up. The dollar cost of
>>the cleanup has been estimated by the Canadian pipeline owner Enbridge at $550
>>million, and the crisis is not over. In fact on March 14, 2013 the U.S.
>>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Enbridge to dredge the Kalamazoo
>>River of the the gooey, toxic sludge that sunk to the bottom of the river and
>>has yet to be removed.
>>
>>It also bears mentioning that Exxon Mobil spent $135 million to clean up a July,
>>2011 pipeline rupture that dumped 63,000 gallons of crude oil along 70 miles of
>>the once pristine Yellowstone River in Montana.
>>
>>In light of the obvious financial conflict of interest in TransCanada’s payment
>>of an undisclosed sum to ERM to produce an SEIS on its behalf and in light of
>>the massive costs associated with remediation of dilbit spills, GPUS believes
>>that the finding of no significant impact is unwarranted and urges DOS to employ
>>a consultant directly with no ties past or present to TransCanada to produce a
>>final SEIS for the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
>>
>>Sincerely yours,
>>
>>Budd Dickinson
>>Secretary, Green Party of the United States
>>
>>
>>MORE INFORMATION
>>
>>Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
>>202-319-7191
>>• Green candidate database and campaign information:
>>http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
>>• News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
>>• Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
>>• Ballot Access Page http://www.gp.org/2012/ballot-access.html
>>• Video Page http://www.gp.org/video/index.php
>>• Green Papers http://www.greenpapers.net/
>>• Discussion Forum https://secure.gpus.org/secure/GreenPartyForum
>>• Google+ http://www.gp.org/google
>>• Twitter http://twitter.com/gpus
>>• Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
>>• GP-TV Twitter page http://www.gp.org/twitter
>>• Facebook page http://www.gp.org/facebook
>>
>>Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United
>>States
>>http://gp.org/greenpages-blog
>>
>>
>>~ END
>>
-- Spencer Graves, PE, PhD President and Chief Technology Officer Structure
Inspection and Monitoring, Inc. 751 Emerson Ct. San José, CA 95126 ph:
408-655-4567 web: www.structuremonitoring.com
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