There are better ways than an oil pipeline

It doesn't make much sense to pump crude oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to be refined in ancient 60-year-old refineries that are always breaking down and causing fuel shortages and inflated prices, then transporting the fuel and heating oil back up north, where 90 percent of the heating oil will be used.

It is much more logical to build two or three new high-efficiency refineries with the latest technology where the oil is - on land that takes 50 acres to feed one cow in the Dakotas, using wind generators or new pollution-free coal power plants or perhaps a small nuclear power plant like those used on aircraft carriers or submarines (and don't need to be refueled for 25 years) to power the refinery. This would create more construction jobs and many permanent good-paying jobs, more so than building a pipeline.

With more fuel available, hopefully the price decline will help stimulate the economy and get things rolling again. This also will keep our oil from being sent to China.

Please tell your congressman to vote “no” on the pipeline.

Richard Hrvol

Cedar Rapids