Should we Reward a company that proves that it isn't safe like the Keystone pipeline owner TransCanada?

Question

TransCanada Predicted the Keystone pipeline would have one leak every 7 years. Instead it has had 12 leaks in 12 months.

The Keystone Pipeline will cross 1,904 waterways. This includes the Largest source of fresh water in the United States, the Ogallala Aquifer.

The Keystone pipeline has had more spills then any other first year pipeline ever in United States History.

On March 16th 2011 the Keystone pipeline spilled 216 gallons.
On May 29th 2011 the Keystone pipeline spilled 2,100 gallons.
On May 7th 2011 the Keystone pipeline spilled 21,000 gallons.

One gallon of Oil can create a Oil slick of 8 acres in size in the water.

Should it be absolutely crucial that pipelines are required to meet the highest safety standards before expanding them???

Please no dumb comments asking if I drive a car or have plastic in my house as a way to justify extending the leaky pipeline over many drinking water sources.

Please use an Intelligent Argument.

http://michiganmessenger.com/48887/keystone-i-pipeline-has-12th-leak-in-first-year

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-09-01-the-last-keystone-pipeline-had-a-record-number-of-leaks

Answer 1

No!



The Keystone XL Pipeline will be 1980 miles of 36 inch diameter, thin wall steel pipe. This will split the U.S. in half and run primarliy through rural, or as what TransCanada calls “Low Consequence”, areas. The operator, TransCanada, determines low consequence which enables them to use a .465 (less than 1/2 inch) wall thickness. It will run at a considerable high pressure of 1440 psi. TransCanada requested and received a special permit that would allow them to operate at 1600 psi., which is above current U.S. regulations. The testing pressure for the pipe is between 1900 and 2000 psi. Also, this pipeline must be heated to around 160 degrees to aid in movement.



Factor in the abrasive nature of tarsands with chemical diluents, add high heat and high pressure, and it should be no surprise that the risks to the integrity of the pipeline are compounded in such a way that it is fair to say that tarsands pipelines are more hazardous than regular crude oil pipelines. TransCanada states that this pipeline is safe, state of the art, and that any additives are no more harmful than the oil itself. Local communities, landowners, public officials and first responders have no access or oportunity to review an “Emergency Response Plan.” Requests by landowners for pipeline content warning labels have been denied.

Answer 2

The timing of the pipe line proposal has created suspicions in that it seems to have been timed to discredit Obama leading into his run for reelection. The Republicans have jumped on his refusal to sign off on the plan like stink on last weeks cabbage!



What the President did was the only logical thing a responsible person could do. If there is any doubt about the safety or any unknowns regarding the consequences of allowing the pipe line to run as proposed it has to be checked. It all sounds like a great idea but that is accepting it as it is sold by the company (they have a huge personal benefit in seeing it completed). The president has asked for greater details and more studies on the potentially hazardous route and the companies incident records.

I agree with the President; less expensive oil (but they can not guarantee that either), more jobs (a huge temporary jump with far less when the project is completed), and less dependence on oil from overseas - But; all that means very little if we end up loosing our water (I would hate to have to drink oil), ruin our environment, and end up paying higher costs.



On top of that America has the same ability to get oil in our own country from shell resource. Not as much maybe as Canada but the oil companies have repeatedly said we have our own. Gulf Oil company in 1972 drilled and capped enough wells in Eastern Nevada to last that company alone over 100 years. All oil companies hold leases and drilling permits all over the United States that they have never done a thing with. If you will recall about ten years ago we were being told we have all kinds of oil in the United States but we lack the refiners to handle it. A year or so later they were closing down refineries. Our dependency is as much based on the honesty and integrity of the oil companies as it is anything else. They can manipulate and manufacture shortages and pricing as they desire.

Answer 3

If my homeland of Canada has anything, it's got lots of fresh water. The Trans Canada Pipeline Company is called that because is has and has had pipelines across Canada for decades. I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way. I don't own shares in the company, so I couldn't care less if we pipeline oil to you or not. But the company is naturally set on selling as much oil as it can, so like any American company, it will sell to other willing buyers such as China. That will entail dealing with aboriginals who will profess environmental concerns as you do, but if history is anything to go by, those concerns will be indirectly proportional to the size of the pay-off check.

Answer 4

A Canadian company? Isn't it a Canadian company that recently had the brilliant idea to open new markets for asbestos in South Asia? Yeah, that sounds like the kind of stewards I want protecting my environment.

Answer 5

I think rushing this through is a big mistake.



Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.



And the Cons attached it to the payroll tax relief.



There shouldn't be riders.

Answer 6

The pipe line will be build with American standard just as the pipe lines in Alaskan care to guess how many leaks those have had with weather 40 below ?

Answer 7

Yep......and all those eco freaks predicted the annihilation of all that wildlife that has seen their population numbers reach record levels since the Alaskan pipeline was built.

Answer 8

Nowa, when duty calls duty calls

Answer 9

No more death and suffocation. BP demonstrated it already.

Answer 10

No, we should shut those companies down.