THIS IS A BIG PARTISAN ISSUE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS….REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS ARE FOR THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE WITHOUT LIMITING “ENVIRONMENTAL” AMENDMENTS WITH ALMOST NO EXCEPTIONS. THE DEMS- INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 17 NOTABLE SUPPORTERS, ARE ALL AGAINST THE PIPELINE WITHOUT THOSE LIMITING AMENDMENTS, AND PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS SHELVED A DECISION…..RSK
Some energy analysts figure the White House’s continuing refusal to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline may become less relevant as oil companies develop other ways to ship their product. But the surge in oil shipments by rail is creating new public health risks while raising the cost of food production.
Today the Journal reports that after a series of accidents, cities and towns along railroad routes aren’t sure they have the capacity to fight potential oil fires. But disclosing more data about the shipments carries its own risks—such as better-informed terrorists. According to the Journal, “An emergency order from the U.S. Transportation Department in June will start requiring railroads to alert states about oil trains originating in North Dakota. But the rules, which follow accidents involving oil from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale in such unlikely locations as Lynchburg, Va., and Aliceville, Ala., already are coming under criticism. Some critics say the new rules are inadequate, while others worry that any disclosures will increase the likelihood of sabotage.”
Is oil shipment by rail clearly more dangerous than via pipeline? As our contributor Terry Anderson recently noted, “President Obama’s own State Department answered the comparison question plainly in February.” Its report “estimates that the Keystone XL carrying 830,000 barrels a day would likely result in 0.46 accidents annually, spilling 518 barrels a year. Under the most optimistic rail-transport scenario for a similar amount of oil, 383 annual spills would occur, spilling 1,335 barrels a year. The report is even harsher on railroads when it comes to human injuries and fatalities. It estimates that tank cars will generate ‘an estimated 49 additional injuries and six additional fatalities’ every year, compared with one additional injury and no fatalities annually for the pipeline.”