… A state law passed in 2011 prevents the commission from factoring pipeline safety or the possibility of leaks into its decisions.
This makes sense, if you don’t want possibility of Reality interfering with desired outcomes…
It’d be a shame if something happened to that nice little Ogalala Aquifer of yours. You know, the one that provides virtually all of your drinking and irrigation water.
Alternate Headline:
Nebraska Refuses To Let Facts Get In Way Of Annoying Libtards And Endangering Farms/Water Supply
No nearby waterway? What do you call that thing on the left? Yes, it is a small drainage ditch, but I will bet a dollar that leads to some other water body - most likely a small pond or depressional wetland. Regardless if it is completely isolated, that ditch probably serves as habitat for a number of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and a whole rage of macroinvertebrates. The fact that there is water even in that ditch indicates that the water table in that area is close to the surface, and that practically guarantees that the local groundwater has been impacted by the spill/
It is Nebraska, we don’t allow reality to interfere with the right of corporations to make huge profits at the expense of the little people.
One quick and simple question: WHY is this pipeline a necessity:
1- We are AWASH in cheap oil and natural gas due to the explosion of fracking.
2- This pipeline is built in large part, to transport some of the world’s absolutely dirtiest oil from tar sands. The environmental costs of this project are monumental even as we see global warming wreaking havoc on us all globally.
3- Yesterday saw the announcement of what could be a nuclear attack on the oil and gas industry…Elon Musk’s announcement of a new electric semi that can haul 40 tons of cargo for 500 miles on a single charge and at costs significantly lower than diesel fueled trucks. If that concept takes hold, the impact on fossil fuel consumption would be absolutely major. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/11/17/1716436/-Game-Changer-Tesla-unveils-500-mile-range-Semi-and-just-for-fun-620-mile-range-Roadster
And the answer to my question: MONEY. Attempts to block this pipeline are DIRECTLY related to the industry’s ability to control the political narrative through “free speech” THEY generate through their wealth.
I have another question: Would someone dig through the Paradise and Panama Papers trove and look specifically for the names of individuals who are in any way involved in the permitting approval process for this pipeline in the states it traverses? Would be fascinating to see whether any of those individuals have hidden away some newfound wealth.
…but officials say state law does not allow pipeline safety to be a factor in their decision.
Sounds a lot like the arguments against sane gun control laws.
And it sounds like our governor here in Texas and his attitude toward storing chemicals on the coast - it was all good as long as they could hide what was being stored.
Then the hurricane hit.
A state law passed in 2011 prevents the commission from factoring pipeline safety or the possibility of leaks into its decisions.
“The commission’s decision … will be based on the evidence in the record,” Collins said.
Except that the evidence the pipeline company doesn’t want to be considered has already been excluded.
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to, but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
…And the fact that the defendant literally has the victim’s blood on his hands shall not be considered in the jury’s deliberations.
Your governor there in Texas is slightly distracted at the moment, bitching to the Feds that they aren’t giving him enough money to deal with Hurricane Harvey. Oh the schadenfreude of a man who has risen through the ranks by constantly bitching about the evils of the federal government.
He’s been in government since forever. He was a DA - government lawyer. Then he started running for office. If he has ever had a job in the private sector I’ve forgotten it. He may have but he’s spent most of his time wasting our money on the state and federal level.
One set of my grandparents is from Marshall County. We visited the farm/ranch almost every summer when growing up, and I have been back a few times with my own family (the grandparents are long gone, but the children have kept the property).
The area was left with incredible topsoil by glaciers that scraped it off of, presumably, Canada. The glaciers also left behind a huge number of lakes, ponds, sloughs, and seasonal wetlands. Depending on precipitation, many of them spill over into ditches and low spots that lead to the next body of water down the chain.
Click “View larger map” and choose the satellite view to see a lot of water that doesn’t show in map view.
Nebraska lawmakers gave the five-member commission the power to regulate major oil pipelines in 2011 in response to a public outcry over the pipeline and its potential impact on the Sandhills, an ecologically fragile region of grass-covered sand dunes.
But when they passed the law, legislators argued that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility and should not factor in the state decision
Nebraska is your responsibility, jackasses. The smart move is to give yourself the option to demand more safety measures if you don’t think the Feds are showing enough concern for Nebraska’s interests.
“A state law passed in 2011 prevents the commission from factoring pipeline safety or the possibility of leaks into its decisions.”
Originally titled The TransCanada Corporation Profitability Act, but changed to The Heartland of America Jobs Act before passing.
That was a huge announcement. Faster, cheaper, safer and more reliable. Oh, and also a 2+2 that is a Bugatti Chiron slayer.
I just wish Elon wasn’t so uncomfortably awkward in front of a crowd.
The upper midwest is covered with these features - there’s a reason Minnesota is “The Land of 10,000 Lakes”. I’m a wetland ecologist and see this kind of stuff all the time - people think because a water source is small, it not important - those people are wrong.
If we want to save our nation we’re going to have to kill conservatives.
Sad isn’t it? They won’t listen to reason and they threaten all our lives.
It’s time we stand our ground. Oh, the irony.