Reminder: Nexus Pipeline Open House in Adrian tomorrow 5:00-7:30 pm, Ypsilanti 2/18 5:00-7:30 pm

Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Adrian College,
Adrian Tobias Center (Adrian Room),
110 S Madison St.Adrian, MI 49221
5:00pm to 7:30pm

Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Lincoln High School
Cafeteria
7425 Willis Rd.Ypsilanti, MI 48197
5:00pm to 7:30pm

http://www.nexusgastransmission.com/timeline/open-house-informational-meetings/

There were protests in Ohio:
http://www.toledofreepress.com/2015/02/13/pipeline-open-house-story/

More about the NG liquids pipeline referred to in the article. It is already in the ground in Michigan.
http://www.kindermorgan.com/pages/business/products_pipelines/utopia

How Dangerous Are Fossil Fuel Transports? - West Virginia Oil Train Derailment Sends Crude Tanker Into River

MOUNT CARBON, W.Va. (AP) — A train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil derailed in southern West Virginia on Monday, sending at least one into the Kanawha River, igniting at least 14 tankers and sparking a house fire, officials said.

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/16/west-virginia-oil-train-derailment_n_6693634.html

EPA: Keystone XL Will Most Likely Increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Read the entire EPA statement here:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/20140032.pdf

Agreement Eliminates a Portion of Rover’s Route through Michigan

The capacity arrangement with Vector eliminates the need for Rover to build its pipeline through Michigan’s Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland St. Clair, and Macomb Counties.

Read the full text here: http://www.energytransfer.com/documents/RoverMichiganReleaseFinal.pdf

Although this seems to feel like a victory - at least for some other counties - it is NOT. We still have to cope with the NEXUS pipeline (see my previous announcement). And what is more important: as long as fossil fuels are utilized anywhere, especially in a dirty way such as from the Marcellus Shale by fracking, I do not really feel that this is a victory...

County denies oil search permit

From today's Daily Telegram:

County denies oil search permit

A request to conduct a seismic survey to search for oil and gas reserves at Gerber Hill Park near Deerfield was turned down Monday by the Lenawee County Parks Commission.

“I think it’s inconsistent with a park and it’s inconsistent with Mr. Gerber’s wishes. I think we should say no,” said commission member Dan Bruggeman. He said Frank Gerber donated the property as a county park to preserve its vulnerable sand hill formation.

Cutting survey sight lines through wooded areas, driving a heavy tractor on the hill and setting off explosive charges used in the seismic testing could all damage the sensitive property, he said.

“I think we have an obligation to the Gerber family not to do this,” said county commissioner Cletus Smith, R-Madison Twp.

There is no obligation for the county to aid the search for oil and gas in the area, said commissioner Ralph Tillotson, R-Adrian Twp. The company can find another path to survey property in the area if the park is not available, he said.

My commentary:
The Lenawee County Parks Commission showed more integrity and courage than the City of Adrian did in the past when Savoy wanted to build their central processing facility (now on Witt Farm) in Heritage Park, which is - like the Gerner Hill Park - also a donation. It was only due to massive citizen protest - and the availability of the Witt Farm property - that Heritage Park is today only disgraced by a oil pump and not a large processing plant... 

The 2nd New Pipeline Crossing Through Lenawee County Is Coming....

Please attend the open house for the Nexus pipeline in Ohio, Adrian or Ypsilanti!

More Info:

http://www.nexusgastransmission.com/timeline/open-house-informational-meetings/

Letter to the Editor of the Daily Telegraph by Sybil Diccion from Morenci about the Keystone XL Pipeline

Opposing Keystone for the environment

To the editor,

The Bloomberg View editorial in Wednesday’s Telegram is advocating that Obama “OK the Keystone pipeline,” even though the Bloomberg writers admit that “Keystone will not create many jobs for the U.S., and its delivery of 830,000 barrels a day won’t keep the price of gasoline low.” Although I disagree with the initial premise, I was most pleased to read their confirmation that Keystone will NOT create many jobs nor lower our gasoline prices; both statistics being touted by proponents as the reasons Keystone SHOULD be approved. Neither are true and neither are my reasons for objection. My honest concerns deal with the environment.

I, as an aging senior, will probably never have to deal with the problems that are sure to occur should these types of projects be allowed to flourish. But it is what we are leaving our children and grandchildren to deal with that is so troubling.

Tar sands oil is a different animal from what we would recognize as petroleum. It’s a tarry, asphalt-like substance that contains more toxic elements such as arsenic, benzene, lead, mercury and toluene. It would be promising if Trans-Canada could guarantee that spills or leaks would never occur, but Phase I, alone, of the pipeline project spilled 12 times in the U.S. in its first year of operation, and Enbridge, another pipeline operator, suffered a spill of more than one million gallons in the Kalamazoo River in 2010. That cleanup has cost more than $1.2 billion and is still underway. To add insult to injury, none of the companies transporting heavy tar sands crude are required to pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which pays for the costs of cleaning up a spill and ensures that taxpayers are not footing the bill.

Although only TC knows the exact route of the pipeline, it's certain that in addition to crossing some of the most important farm and ranch lands in the country, it would also cross one of the most vital freshwater sources in the nation, the Ogallala aquifer. The inability of pipeline alarm systems to quickly recognize a leak and alert pipeline operators makes every leak a potential if not actual disaster. “Industry leak detection systems missed 19 of 20 spills,” says NRDC's Anthony Swift. “And what's more concerning is, if you look at the data over the last 10 years, four out of five spills have been greater than 40,000 gallons.” Public Citizen reports dozens of problems with photos as proof of dents and poorly-welded seams in segments of KXL pipeline already laid in southern Texas. One whistleblower was fired for insisting that there be an investigation of the pipelines. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/whistleblower-forced-investigation-of-transcanada-pipelines-1.1146204

Even if I could be convinced that carbon emissions would not be increased, I still would object to the construction of the Keystone. I applaud any decisions made that would benefit the lives of those younger than I, but I do not believe that this pipeline is one of those beneficial decisions.

Sybil Diccion

Morenci