Recently the Obama
administration rejected the Keystone Pipeline. This is not a totally bad
event. First, the Republicans tried to force the administration's
hand by putting an artificially rushed on the dead line for the issue. It was
moving forward, but the opposition party is forcing the
administration to make a hurried decision that would not be to the
liking of some of its supports; environmentalists and labor are on opposite sides on the pipeline.
The problem with
the situation is that the pipeline might cross the Ogallala aquifer in Kansas
and Nebraska. The aquifer is a gigantic underground lake, which that part of the country depends upon for water. A lot of agriculture is depended upon this
water; our food supply is depended upon it.
Now the recent
history of the oil companies abuse of the environment is
quite stark. BP did a job on the Gulf, which still needs a lot of
work. The coast may never be restored to its previous state. BP is
certainly getting tired of spending money to fix what they have done. There have been other oil spills that are still causing problems.
A small event occurred at a refinery in
Denver, which polluted the water under their plant recently. It was not
a big spill, and the aquifer is small, and the refiner needs the
water for their own use. However, it is felt that is going to take
several years to fix; an aquifer is a matter that takes
time to fix.
The Ogallala
aquifer being huge and deep would be very hard to fix. So taking a little time
to look at the situation is needed. The oil companies are not good at
planning; they do do not hold priorities of others as high as they
hold their own priorities,so they need to let some outside experts
look at their plans. There too much to loose, if something goes
wrong...and it will.
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