Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines

News broke Thursday, 5-3-12, that TransCanada submitted its permit application for the Southern portion of the Keystone XL Pipeline to the Army Corps of Engineers.

To evade a meaningful review, TransCanada applied for an expedited, insufficient blanket permit to cover all of the water crossings. The permit is only designed to cover crossings with total acreage of less than .5 acres; however, the Keystone has 101 crossings, and 60 of them are larger than .5 acres, including 1.25 acres of Pine Island Bayou which is a perennial tributary of the Neches River.

The Army Corps, which has an abysmal environmental track record, could approve the project in 45 days – or sooner – unless the EPA steps in.

Please sign the petition at the link below telling EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson not to allow TransCanada’s project to get rubber stamped. Learn more and add your name here:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/kxl_45_days/?r_by=-2460848-PDp0dPx&rc=confemail

Below is a link to an article from Friends of the Earth which further describes the Army Corps of Engineers permitting with regard to TransCanada. At the end of the article is a link to a letter from the EPA dated November, 2011, in which the EPA asks the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the permit.

TransCanada secretly moves forward with permits for Keystone XL southern segment amid EPA Region 6′s previous objection

http://www.foe.org/news/archives/2012-05-transcanada-secretly-moves-forward-with-permits

If you would be interested in doing more regarding this matter, please see more info at   www.nacstop.org

An article recently appeared in a Texas paper, The Cherokeean Herald, where Terry Cunha, manager of stakeholder relations for TransCanada based in Calgary, Canada, claimed that Suzanne Morris provided “serious misinformation” about the treatment of landowners in the path of their private project.

Cunha said, “Ms. Morris’s characterizations that TransCanada “threatened” landowners and “dragged them into court” is a serious misinterpretation of fact and law. While this is a common accusation leveled by activist opponents of the Gulf Coast Project (and every other energy project in the U.S.), your readers are wise enough to have noticed that no opponent has yet made a specific accusation of a named individual making a threat against a specific landowner. We wonder: Why not?”

“We think it’s because our land agents keep such meticulous records of landowner contacts. Why? For the very reason that this accusation is routinely made by a small but vocal minority of landowners and others who simply oppose the energy industry. It would only be fair of them to allow us to confront our accusers and get to the facts rather than resort to blind accusations.”

Here is the “Why Not.” The “why not” is simply Cunha’s deceptive statement. Cunha claims “that no opponent has yet made a specific accusation.” That’s a bit one sided and easily rigged. Cunha then claims that accusers simply oppose the project because they oppose the energy industry. These are frankly bold face lies. Many, people oppose TransCanada because we do not like being lied to and bullied.

Reports of TransCanada bullying landowners can be found in every state they want to run their project. All one has to do is a little homework. For example:

Continue reading “More of TransCanada’s Lies” »

Our good friend Tom Weis, president of Climate Crisis Solutions, has an incredible presentation of videos from his “Tour of Resistance” rocket trike ride. That ride took both Tom and another fellow friend Ron Seifert, all along the Keystone XL route starting from the U.S. and Canadian border all the way to the Texas Gulf Coast refineries.

Starting this Sunday (April 1), Tom will post one favorite video from his RenewableRider YouTube channel each day for the next 70 days (the actual duration of the ride) on his facebook and twitter pages. Hop in the rocket trike for a 2,150-mile trek through America’s heartland:

Hear a Montana rancher describe how TransCanada is disrespecting U.S. landowners.

Cross the Yellowstone and other majestic rivers threatened by toxic oil spills.

See how Nebraska farmers are fighting to protect our precious Ogallala Aquifer.

Mount up on horseback with Lakota tribal leaders determined to defend their homeland.

Meet Texas landowners standing up to TransCanada’s abuses of eminent domain.

Visit the fenceline community of Port Arthur, TX, where children live in the shadow of toxic oil refineries.

P.S. For a fresh perspective on where the Keystone XL fight went awry, check out Tom’s column published in EcoWatch: “Keystone Lessons Learned for the Fight to Come.” If you agree with his conclusions, we hope you will forward it widely. Please see the following link for an honest assessment of the Keystone XL fight.

http://ecowatch.org/2012/keystone-lessons-learned-for-the-fight-to-come/

Below, you will find Tom’s contact information and links to his face book, twitter, you tube channel, and website. Make the facebook and or twitter connection and follow Tom’s daily diaries starting April 1^st.

Thank you,

David Daniel

Tom Weis, President

Climate Crisis Solutions

2548 6th Street

Boulder, CO 80304

(303) 378-1364 (mobile)

tom@climatecrisissolutions.com

http://rideforrenewables.org/

http://twitter.com/#!/RenewableRider

http://www.youtube.com/user/RenewableRider

http://www.facebook.com/RideforRenewables

Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, No More Dirty Tar Sands Oil

If you were disappointed with Obama (like us) for his embrace of Keystone XL-South, we’ve got the project for you! David Daniel is one of the many landowners whose land TransCanada is taking without permission — putting his family at risk and endangering the climate and clean water we all depend on.

Follow this link to our new Tumblr photo petition, where you can say why you stand with David and everyone else opposing the pipeline. Then SHARE the link!

Stand with David

http://standwithdavid.tumblr.com/

 Add your picture to say you Stand with David Daniel, a landowner who is fighting the Keystone XL pipeline.

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Texas landowner calls out Obama on Keystone XL fast-tracking.

This property was intended as a legacy for our 4-and-a-half-year-old daughter. My wife and I never imagined that we would live to see any part of it threatened by the greed of Big Oil and the shameful complicity of a president bending over backwards to accommodate that greed.

http://grist.org/oil/texas-landowner-calls-out-obama-on-keystone-xl-fast-tracking/

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Thank you “Friends of the Earth” for putting this together.

Thank you to everyone for standing up for future generations.

-David Daniel

The amount of deception surrounding Keystone XL has been amplified through both TransCanada’s and the Administrations justification of its segmentation by building the Gulf Coast Segment as a stand-alone project. Both say that the project will transport growing supplies of U.S. crude oil to meet refinery demand in Texas. Is it half-truth justification like this that is supposed to make this a public service project?

Without public service and use, this is a private project that does not merit National Interest or property seizure by eminent domain.

Key elements missing from that discussion are any qualifiers on percentage of various contents and contractual details. Another key element that is missing, is the fact that the Gulf Coast Segment would connect with TransCanada’s Keystone 1 system that is currently delivering Canadian Tar Sands to Cushing. As stated in the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for Keystone XL, the purpose and need for the project is to transport Canadian crude to delivery points (refineries) in Texas. It is important to note that TransCanada is relying on that specific EIS for the Gulf Coast Segment (GCS) as further justification for the project.

Continue reading “Private Company, Private Customers, Private Contents” »

Stand with Landowners to Stop Eminent Domain Abuse

“There’s no such thing as a voluntary agreement with a company or government that has the power to take your property,”

—Bill Peacock, vice president for the Texas Policy Foundation

What if a private corporation decided that they wanted to take your land for their own private gain? What if the state you lived in let them do it, whether you wanted to sell your land or not?

Sign the Petition: Stand Up with Julia Trigg Crawford and Her Family to Save Their Land

Julia Trigg and her family refused to settle with TransCanada. When TransCanada asked a judge to condemn their land, they pointed to their T-4 permit to prove their common carrier status. If checking a box does not conclusively establish eminent domain power, then TransCanada took the Crawford family’s land before they ever had to show proof of fulfilling the legal requirements of a public pipeline.

Donate to the Crawford Legal Defense Fund

The Crawford family has decided to fight the oil giant TransCanada for their land and for the rights of all property owners in Texas. Stand with them against corporate bullies that use unconstitutional legal loopholes to steal land from Texas property owners. This fight will be long and costly – please donate to the Crawford Family Legal Defense Fund today.

Go to this link for more information.

 http://standwithjulia.com/

Today, 2-27-12, TransCanada announced that they are set to re-apply for the Keystone XL Permit and will proceed with the Cushing to Gulf Coast segment of Keystone XL as a stand-alone project that will not be part of the presidential permit process. This will circumvent the national process.

TransCanada actually used Obama’s words in their press release as support for this move.

“Reapplying for the Keystone XL permit is supported by words used in President Obama’s statement January 18, 2012 when he said the denial of the permit was not based on the merits of the pipeline but rather on an imposed 60-day legislative timeline to make a decision on the project.”

With respect to moving forward on an initiative like the Gulf Coast Project, President Obama stated: “In the months ahead, we will continue to look for new ways to partner with the oil and gas industry to increase our energy security – including the potential development of an oil pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Continue reading “Obama Sold US Out” »

Industry Studies Are Misleading; Project May Kill More Jobs Than It Creates.

It is important to take a realistic and honest look at the jobs claims. First, always read the fine print. Yes, TransCanada has a fine print disclaimer about their “forward looking information” as it directly relates to any economic benefits? This can be found on their website. Below is an excerpt:

“This news release may contain certain information that is forward looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties.” “All forward-looking statements reflect TransCanada’s beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Actual results or events may differ from those predicted in these forward-looking statements.”

“Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this news release or otherwise, and to not use future-oriented information or financial outlooks for anything other than their intended purpose. TransCanada undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.”

Currently, TransCanada is facing a potential inquiry into whether it deliberately deceived investors by inflating the job-creation potential of the Keystone XL project. A complaint has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over TransCanada’s “false or misleading statements about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.”

Specifically, TransCanada has asserted that each mile of KXL pipeline constructed in the U.S. would create American jobs at a rate that is 67 times higher than job creation totals given by the company to Canadian officials for the Canadian portion of the pipeline.

Based off information provided by TransCanada, The State Department’s best case scenario for temporary jobs in the U.S. is only 5,000 to 6,000; – not the 20,000 that industry and industry backed politicians claim.

The number of people needed to operate and maintain the 1,661-mile (2,673-kilometer) pipeline may be as few as 20, according to the U.S. State Department, or as many as a few hundred, according to TransCanada.

In a Nov. 11 interview on CNN, TransCanada Vice President Robert Jones said permanent jobs would be “in the hundreds, certainly not in the thousands.” In addition, TransCanada’s CEO acknowledges the number of temporary construction jobs to be 6,500.

Independent studies have been conducted which put the numbers at as few as 50 permanent jobs and as few as 2,500 to 4,650 total temporary construction jobs for two years and many of those jobs already exist within the company but yet are still counted in the total. These reports are more consistent with actual job creation numbers from the current operational Keystone project.

Cornell Global Labor Institute’s new report, Pipe Dreams? Jobs Gained, Jobs Lost by the Construction of Keystone XL (pdf) examines the job impacts of TransCanada Corportation’s Keystone XL Pipeline, the proposed pipeline that would transport tar sands oil almost 2,000 miles from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. The report reviews claims made by TransCanada and the American Petroleum Institute that the project will create 20,000 construction and manufacturing and 119,000 (direct, indirect and induced) jobs.

The report concludes that the job estimates put forward by TransCanada are unsubstantiated and the project will not only create fewer jobs than industry states, but that the project could actually kill more jobs than it creates.

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globallaborinstitute/research/Keystonexl.html

Congressman Hensarling’s reckless actions, intentional or not, are literally putting the lives of Americans at risk.

1-19-12

Mr. Hensarling,

You have supported the fact that TransCanada, a foreign company, has come in to your area and sued Americans and used eminent domain to seize our land rights for a project (Keystone XL) that does not serve public use requirements and does not have the necessary permit to even stick a shovel in the ground. To top it all off, that permit was denied yesterday and yet, on the same day, you still had the nerve to come out in support of this dangerous, unregulated, foreign special interest project simply as a tool to attack your political opponent and not for any valid reason.

Mr. Hensarling, it is time for your to stop playing this political game with our lives and water supplies. It is time for the truth, and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.

Continue reading “To my Congressman, Jeb Hensarling, – You Have Lied to US.” »

Topic: Obama denies Keystone XL permit on 1-18-12

What does the language in the administrations decision to deny the permit actually say? It’s a bit like a puzzle, just put the piece’s together and tell me what you see.

Continue reading “Keystone XL – Decision to do what exactly?” »