Environment ignored in pipeline decision

The negative reaction to President Barack Obama's decision to deny the Keystone pipeline was devoid of any reference to the environment. He was accused of making a political decision and then threatened politically.

The statement about loss of 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs is exaggerated. TransCanada stated in its application that 3,500 to 4,200 peak temporary construction jobs would be created. No one mentioned the greater number of jobs that would be created if there was a shift away from fossil fuels.

The damage to the environment is incalculable but most likely would be in the billions. Canada plans to tear up a large area in Alberta; millions of cubic feet of natural gas a day is being burned to process the tar sands. Gas usage may triple with the pipeline. An increase in methane and carbon dioxide can be detected in the atmosphere now.

These greenhouse gases are contributing to a rise in temperature in the Arctic that is melting the ice. When the ice melts, the temperature goes up, which in turn releases more methane and carbon dioxide.

A viscous feedback system is created. Runaway global warming is the result. It is unimaginable that people do not want to know about the environmental impacts of the pipeline or that self preservation is at stake.

Harold Hensel

Cedar Rapids