Protesting Keystone pipeline worth arrest

By John and Ann Christenson, Barbara Schlachter and Del Holland

-----

Why would four responsible, middle-class, law-abiding Iowa City retirees travel nearly 1,000 miles to face arrest?

One year ago last week, we were among the 1,253 people from all across the United States who were handcuffed and searched by a SWAT team and hauled by paddy wagon to a Washington, D.C., jail. Our crime? Standing in front of the White House protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. For us, it was simply time to take a stand on principle for Mother Earth.

Yes, many pundits say the booming shale oil fields in Texas and North Dakota and the growth of deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will allow the nation to cut its reliance on oil imports significantly over the next couple of decades.

The reality is that continued dependence on fossil fuels will be an environmental disaster that our planet will not survive as we know it.

Take Keystone XL. The Canadian oil and gas company TransCanada plans to build this new oil pipeline nearly 2,000 miles from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast of Texas. If constructed, the pipeline will carry one of the world's dirtiest fuels: tar sands oil. Along its route from Alberta to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas, a tax-free trade zone, this pipeline would devastate ecosystems, pollute water sources, and jeopardize public health.

Keystone XL will not lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, but will transport Canadian oil for export to overseas markets. A Saudi corporation owns 50 percent of the largest Port Arthur refinery; a second large refinery is owned by BASF, a German chemical company.

Furthermore, TransCanada's jobs projections are vastly inflated, as shown by numerous studies, including one by Cornell University's respected Global Labor Institute.

Despite a temporary rejection of Keystone XL by President Obama, TransCanada has attempted to circumvent a transparent, thorough review process by splitting the pipeline into two segments - a northern, transborder segment from Alberta to Steele City, Neb., and a southern segment from Cushing, Okla., on to Port Arthur.

Last week, TransCanada began plowing ahead with the southern leg without public input or an environmental review. A tar sands blockade has gone into action at Cushing, planned and carried out by farmers, ranchers, landowners and other volunteer demonstrators.

Levels of carbon dioxide emissions from tar sands oil are three times higher than those of conventional oil, due to more energy-intensive extraction and refining processes. It takes three barrels of water to extract a single barrel of oil.

At this rate, tar sands operations use roughly 400 million gallons of water a day. Ninety percent of this polluted water is dumped into large human-made pools, known as tailing ponds, after it's used. Chemicals from these ponds have worked their way into neighboring clean water supplies. Communities living downstream from tailing ponds have seen spikes in rates of rare cancers, renal failure, lupus, and hyperthyroidism.

Then there is the threat of spills. Despite TransCanada's assurances of safety, the Keystone I pipeline spilled a dozen times in less than a year of operation.

In 2010, a million gallons of tar sands oil poured into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan from a similar Canadian pipeline, resulting in illnesses, wildlife devastation and long-term damage to the local economy. Two years and $800 million later, the cleanup is still going on.

Investing in tar sands oil now will delay investments in clean and safe alternatives to oil, such as better fuel economy requirements, plug-in electric cars fueled by solar power, and smart growth and public transportation infrastructure that give Americans choices other than cars.

John and Ann Christenson, arrested Aug. 23, 2011, Barbara Schlachter, arrested Aug. 29, 2011, Del Holland, arrested Aug. 30, 2011, reside in Iowa City. Comments: annfchris@gmail.com