Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Keystone Pipeline


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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