Keystone Pipeline leaks 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota

I'm sure everyone bitching about the oil walks or bicycles everywhere they go right? They surely don't drive a gasoline powered vehicle to a gas station and expect the pumps to be ready to dispense that awful gasoline substance right? Sheesh.

It's seldom a big deal when it's not in your back yard. Most of the people making the money don't have to deal with the negative issues.

a reply to: jjkenobi

We're bitching about a SPILL, not on us not needing oil or pumping gas into our vehicles..

a reply to: roadgravel

Tru dat...as long as the money keeps flowing into their bank accounts.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

210,000-gallon leak, but "Officials don't believe the leak affected any surface water bodies or threatened any drinking water systems from the spill".


Yeah, I believe that


smh



No one will be held accountable.

originally posted by: Skywatcher2011

originally posted by: xuenchen
Any mention of possible Sabotage ?

Trump supported the Keystone...Democrats would probably sabotage it to make him look bad.

Probably?

Ive seen people harboring so much hate they`d push their mothers in front of a bus to blame it on that guy.

originally posted by: elementalgrove
a reply to: shawmanfromny

Trump is a real POS for moving this forward.

Native land needs to be respected now more than ever and this BS is directly from his executive orders.

It is criminal for more reasons than one.

It's interesting because this started way before Trump, I didn't see Obama put his foot down and end it permanently. The problem is these politicians, (On Both Sides), are bought and paid for, but people with partisan blinders will not admit it.

Carry on.

Well Manifest Destiny was a Democrat idea. They have a lot of deflection to do regarding treatment of natives.

Would it matter in the slightest if someone were to ask "What caused the spill?".

Things break, not through negligence, but because things break.

Was it negligence? Was it sabotage? Does anyone know? Or is this just another opportunity to "Oh, big oil bad." "Oh, Trump bad." Or any other number of "oh, ...bad.".

This is not a big leak, not even remotely. Clean it up. Fix what broke, make sure it isn't happening somewhere else, make sure it won't happen, again, and move on from there.

a reply to: elementalgrove

The orders were already in place years ago,under the Obama admin,where it was approved,your mistaken

For anyone that may be confused, this is bitumen oil. It has a similar consistency to tar, they have to mix it with a lot of water soluble carcinogens so that it can be pumped through the pipe.

So, when there's a leak or a spill the bitumen oil doesn't float like crude, it sinks. The chemicals used to lower the viscosity of the tar oil are all water soluble so they spread through the water table and could, potentially, affect a much larger area than what can be seen by the oil.

This really is the dirtiest oil in the world.

a reply to: seasonal

Yes a small spill. You can fit many of your little spills in this.

Stop exerting your opinion and learn some facts. Go and do some reading and find out how much damage that can do. It can do a lot. The earths ecosystems are collapsing..

Wake Up!

Well, I'm one of those people who considers this spill non-trivial. Yes, I use petroleum products just like everybody else in this country. And, I'm sure I'll continue to use these products for the rest of my life. I don't have any problems using these products as long as they are handled with the care that any toxic substance deserves.

I'm not an environmentalist. But, I believe in edible food, drinkable water, and breathable air. I'll cut these companies some slack when they encounter an endangered species of fruit fly. Humans are an invasive species, and we tend to alter our environment to suit our needs. However, I see no need in destroying the same habitat in which we must live.

Accidents happen, and I can understand and accept that. But, doesn't it make sense to take every precaution we can to prevent those accidents. I don't mind spending an extra 10 cents a gallon to make sure these fuel transportation systems are more resistant to failure. A "welding anomaly" in a relatively new pipeline that results in the spill of a quarter millions gallons of toxic petroleum sludge is not acceptable.

As far as cleanup is concerned, I'll accept that, if it's done properly. And by properly, I mean bringing the environment back to its original condition. But, it's not always possible to do that. Furthermore, there is ample evidence that if they think they can get away with it, they won't do a proper job.

In an NPR article: When This Oil Spills, It's 'A Whole New Monster':

In Michigan, a cleanup worker turned whistle-blower named John Bolenbaugh helped answer one of Daniel's questions: If there's a spill, will they clean up all the oil?
...
As Bolenbaugh tells it, he and other cleanup workers were told to bury oil, which made him furious. So he started taking photos and videos with his cellphone on the sly.

Bolenbaugh was fired after he went to the Environmental Protection Agency and the media.

Now they want to build another section of the Keystone XL pipeline directly across some of the densest parts of the Ogallala Aquifer. This water source is critical to much of the agricultural production of the US Midwest. What happens when a few hundred thousand gallons of the sludge spills and contaminates this natural water source. Once this water table is contaminated, they won't be able to properly clean it up, even if they wanted to!

So, a lot of people here seem to dismiss this leak of 210,000 gallons (only 1/3 of an Olympic swimming pool) of toxic oil sludge as being little more than a nuisance that can be easily cleaned up. However, there is ample evidence that they won't, or can't, clean it up properly.

What happens next time when they have what many people here consider to be a big oil spill? A full Olympic pool of toxic oil sands sludge dumped into a tributary to the Ogallala Aquifer. I suppose we can all get used to our corn-on-a-cob smelling and tasting like asphalt. I guess that's the cost of progress...

-dex

Do we ever get presented with videos of the actual physical leaks with these cases?

Are you seriously suggesting that pipelines don't leak, and all the leaks are fake news?

That is insane, or stupid, take your pick.

a reply to: DexterRiley

Some people's bank account is much more valuable then the average person's life.

More proof was the Deepwater Horizon. Saving money was more important then the lives of workers and the gulf.

a reply to: roadgravel

Some people's bank account is much more valuable then the average person's life.

Exactly. For their personal monetary gain they have no problem causing irreversible damage to critical resources necessary for everyone, including themselves.

More proof was the Deepwater Horizon. Saving money was more important then the lives of workers and the gulf.

Now the Deepwater Horizon incident was a cluster frack of mammoth proportions. They spilled 210 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. And it cost BP over 54 billion dollars. 11 dead, 17 injured in the initial explosion. I'm sure it will take a very long time before the Gulf fully recovers. I think this is one of those cases where the accident was of such gigantic proportions that a complete cleanup and restoration of the environment is not possible.

-dex

a reply to: DexterRiley

such gigantic proportions that a complete cleanup and restoration of the environment is not possible.

That is most likely true. I can't believe anyone would go swimming there.

originally posted by: seasonal
I do not like big oil, but you know what I like less than big oil? Walking.

And this is why nothing will ever get fixed about anything.
Yeah, I'm all for all those good causes, but you telling me that I have to put in some effort and energy and not be lazy? Oh, in that case, the environment can go suck it, world stability can go suck it as we deal with dictatorial states who just so happen to have the keys to that sweet sweet oil!

Why are people blaming Trump ?

TransCanada is at fault as yet to be determined.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

What's reported isn't always what actually happened.