President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline

President Obama has indicated that he will factor environmental and human health issues into his decision about the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline is opposed by environmentalists and supported by those who say the jobs it would create are more important than the well being of the environment and the health of the American people.

On Tuesday November 1, President Obama indicated that in addition to economic concerns, health and economic issues would be taken into account when he decides whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

Here are excerpts of Obama's comments from an interview with Nebraska television station KETV:

"My general attitude is, what's best for the American people? What's best for our economy both short term and long term? But also what's best for the health of the American people?"

"We don’t want, for example, aquifers to be adversely affected. folks in Nebraska obviously would be directly impacted, and so we want to make sure we’re taking the long view on these issues.”

“We need to make sure that we have energy security and aren’t just relying on Middle East sources. But there’s a way of doing that and still making sure that the health and safety of the American people and folks in Nebraska are protected, and that’s how I’ll be measuring these recommendations when they come to me.”

"I think folks in Nebraska, like all across the country, aren't going to say to themselves, 'we'll take a few thousand jobs' if it means that our kids are potentially drinking water that would damage their health or if ... rich land that is so important to agriculture in Nebraska ends up being adversely affected."

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline
NRDC November 6 Protest Against the Keystone XL in Washington DC
Nebraska's Special Session to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills from the Keystone XL Pipeline
Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Rejected by Environmentalists in Nebraska
State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
Cornell University Questions the Economic Benefits of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Protest Ends in Washington
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nobel Prize Laureates Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline
Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline
US Protests Against the Tar Sands Oil
Canada on Track to be a Dirty Energy Superpower
Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Video: NASA's Leading Climatologist Addresses Crowd Before he was Arrested at the Keystone XL Tar Sands Protest in Washington

NRDC November 6 Protest Against the Keystone XL in Washington DC

On November 6 in Washington, DC the NRDC is organizing a protest to encircle the White House to ask President Obama to reject Keystone XL.

The protest will be led by NRDC Founding Director John Adams who will be leading a group of NRDC staff, members, and activists. They will be joining thousands of concerned citizens who are concerned about the implications of locking America into decades of dirty tar sands oil which scientists say will dramatically hasten climate change, destroy boreal forest, and threaten groundwater.

To be part of the White House protest in Washington DC register here.

For those who are unable to be in DC, the NRDC is encouraging people to send President Obama a message to stop Keystone XL. For more information about this campaign click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nebraska's Special Session to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills from the Keystone XL Pipeline
Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Rejected by Environmentalists in Nebraska
State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
Cornell University Questions the Economic Benefits of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Protest Ends in Washington
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nobel Prize Laureates Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline
Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline
US Protests Against the Tar Sands Oil
Canada on Track to be a Dirty Energy Superpower
Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Video: NASA's Leading Climatologist Addresses Crowd Before he was Arrested at the Keystone XL Tar Sands Protest in Washington

Nebraska's Special Session to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline

The state of Nebraska convened a special session of the legislature on Tuesday November 2, in a final ditch effort to stop or re-route the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project. The Nebraska Legislature's special session will determine whether the state can force TransCanada Pipelines to reroute the pipeline around the ecologically sensitive Sandhills region overlaying the Ogallala Aquifer.

Opponents of the pipeline are hoping this session of the legislature will find a legal means of blocking or at least re-routing the project away from an important source of ground water.

Although there is considerable resistance, Nebraska's governor, David Heineman, has yet to introduce a proposal on resiting the pipeline. "Normally when a governor calls a special session he introduces a bill, but the governor has not done that," said Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska, which has been leading the protests. "We are afraid that they will hold a special session and not pass anything and say they have done their best."

A state senator, Anne Dubash, is working on a separate proposal to give the state the authority to re-route the pipeline. There are also moves to try to block the pipeline by challenging TransCanada's methods for obtaining land use rights.

Nebraska's special session to stop the Keystone XL pipeline opened on Tuesday November 1, and is expected to last until at least November 14.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline
NRDC November 6 Protest Against the Keystone XL in Washington DC
South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills from the Keystone XL Pipeline
Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Rejected by Environmentalists in Nebraska
State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
Cornell University Questions the Economic Benefits of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Protest Ends in Washington
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nobel Prize Laureates Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline
Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline
US Protests Against the Tar Sands Oil
Canada on Track to be a Dirty Energy Superpower
Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Video: NASA's Leading Climatologist Addresses Crowd Before he was Arrested at the Keystone XL Tar Sands Protest in Washington

South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills from the Keystone XL Pipeline

Due to concerns about groundwater contamination, South Dakota govenor Dennis Daugaard has asked the Legislature to "impose additional protections" on the Keystone XL pipeline, similar to concessions that Nebraska lawmakers recently won from TransCanada.

TransCanada met with Nebraska officials and offered concessions in lieu of rerouting the pipeline, among them encircling the pipeline with concrete or rock jacketing where it crosses a shallow water table, moving spill response teams closer to the Sandhills and offering a $100 million performance bond to cover spill cleanup. All of which were dismissed as inadequate by Nebraska environmentalists.

Opponents nationwide are waging a much more aggressive campaign to block Keystone XL than they mustered against the first project known as Keystone I. Aquifer contamination from groundwater spills have been a concern for both pipelines. However, these concerns are greater for the Keystone XL as the proposed route of the pipeline traverses the massive Ogallala Aquifer, which is the main source of water for eight states including South Dakota.

Since 2008, Dakota Rural Action and some South Dakota legislators have unsuccessfully pushed for a pipeline cleanup fund, similar to what TransCanada now is offering Nebraska.

Daugaard spokesman Tony Venhuizen said it is only fair that South Dakota should be offered similar protections to those offered to Nebraska. "We've already let TransCanada know that they can't be cutting special deals for some states just because they protest more," he said. "The squeaky Cornhusker wheel shouldn't get all the grease."

It would appear the protests in Nebraska have forced TransCanada to offer additional safety measures. In South Dakota there have been less protests making it easier for TransCanada to ignore the safety concerns in that state.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline
NRDC November 6 Protest Against the Keystone XL in Washington DC
Nebraska's Special Session to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Rejected by Environmentalists in Nebraska
State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
Cornell University Questions the Economic Benefits of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Protest Ends in Washington
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nobel Prize Laureates Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline
Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline
US Protests Against the Tar Sands Oil
Canada on Track to be a Dirty Energy Superpower
Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Video: NASA's Leading Climatologist Addresses Crowd Before he was Arrested at the Keystone XL Tar Sands Protest in Washington

Safety Measures for the Keystone XL Rejected by Environmentalists in Nebraska

TransCanada Pipelines has proposed new safety measures for the Sandhills portion of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The seven new measures outlined by pipeline developer TransCanada Inc. were dismissed by critics of the project as “window dressing.”

TransCanada offered the new safety steps in response to four Nebraska state senators who are concerned that the state's groundwater, including the Ogallala Aquifer, is threatened by the pipeline.

Although they refused to reroute the pipeline, TransCanada said it would encase the pipeline in concrete in areas of high groundwater extending an extra layer of concrete for 35 miles.

TransCanada offered several new steps to address concerns raised by the Nebraska lawmakers about possible contamination of groundwater, including providing a $100 million performance bond to ensure the financial resources to clean up any spills and basing a five-member emergency spill response team. In addition TransCanada proposed providing a concrete barrier around the pumping station and moving response crews closer to the Sandhills.

Pipeline opponents said that most of the safety measures would not prevent a leak. The $100 million bond for cleaning up a Sandhills spill would be inadequate, when compared with the projected $700 million cost of cleaning up a crude-oil pipeline leak that spilled 800,000 gallons of oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River 15 months ago.

Why should we be discussing inadequate safety measures when the best solution would be to preempt the problem altogether by scuttling the Keystone XL pipeline project.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
President Obama and the Fate of the Keystone XL Pipeline
NRDC November 6 Protest Against the Keystone XL in Washington DC
Nebraska's Special Session to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
South Dakota Wants Additional Protections Against Spills from the Keystone XL Pipeline
State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Protest
Cornell University Questions the Economic Benefits of the Keystone XL Pipeline
Keystone XL Protest Ends in Washington
Oil Spills Add to Concerns about the Keystone XL Pipeline
Nobel Prize Laureates Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline
Religious Leaders Join the Protest Against Keystone XL Pipeline
US Protests Against the Tar Sands Oil
Canada on Track to be a Dirty Energy Superpower
Bill McKibben and other Protestors Jailed for their Opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline
Video: NASA's Leading Climatologist Addresses Crowd Before he was Arrested at the Keystone XL Tar Sands Protest in Washington

GEAR Northwest: Green Economy Action Roadshow

On November 4 and 5, 2011, GEAR Northwest will be taking place at Roosevelt University, Schaumburg Campus, 1400 N. Roosevelt Blvd., Schaumburg, IL 60173. There are many green events, but few opportunities to meet with the businesses, public agencies and experts involved in your local Green Economy. That's why The Delta Institute and Mindful Metropolis have teamed up to present the Green Economy Action Roadshow, a series of two-day events designed to connect, transform and empower green business, government and lifestyles. The Roadshow is designed to get your wheels turning on ideas, partners and other resources to help you grow with the Green Economy.

Keynote Speaker:

Don Bartell, Senior Director, Envrionmental Initiatives, Motorola Solutions.

Bartell works with teams across the company on a comprehensive strategy to advance and showcase Motorola's commitment to Corporate Responsibility. Don will share his experience driving environmental improvements across the entire value chain and offer insights about how any company can get started on a more sustainable path.

Featured Speakers:

Randy Blankenhorn, Executive Director, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

Randy Blankenhorn is executive director of CMAP, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Under his leadership, CMAP developed & is now guiding the implementation of GO TO 2040, metropolitan Chicago’s first comprehensive regional plan in more than 100 years.

Karrie Gibson, Founder & President, Vintage Tech.

Karrie Gibson is a trailblazer in the recycling industry. She founded Vintage Tech in 2005 as one of, if not the, first woman-owned recycling business meeting and exceeding R2, ISO, 14001 and Women Business Enterprise National Certification Standards.

Jon Levey, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, Green Choice Bank.

Jon A. Levey is a seasoned executive with 20 years of real estate, finance and entrepreneurial expertise. GreenChoice Bank is the Midwest’s first holistically sustainable community bank, offering a values-based choice in banking to consumers and businesses and helping to grow the regional Green Economy.

Ari Kobb, Seimens, Director, Green Building Solutions and Co-Chair, Siemens Sustainability Committee.

Ari Kobb heads the Green Buildings and Sustainability efforts at the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc. He is responsible for ensuring Siemens leadership in the Green Building area, and leads a range of efforts including the alignment of Siemens products, services and solutions to the LEED® rating system, new solution development, strategic planning and business development.

Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, Vice President, Earth Friendly Products.

As Vice President of Earth Friendly Products, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks is a driving force in convincing consumers, politicians and activists of the importance of preserving personal health, pet health, and the health of the environment. Her proactive concern to protect the environment with the goal of making our earth viable for future generations has become a large part of the company's mission. Kelly’s consciousness-raising pronouncements are sprinkled throughout such segments as "Go Green" with ABC News and NBC's Universal Green segment. As an expert in sustainability, a daughter who lost her mother to cancer and the mother of a Second Grader, Kelly's dedication to living an eco-friendly lifestyle reaches far beyond her career with Earth Friendly Products. Kelly resides in Huntington Beach, California with her husband and daughter in their environmentally-friendly home that was constructed using green products.

John Talbot, Weaver Boos.

Mr. Talbot is the Manager of Civil Engineering at Weaver Boos Consultants in Chicago, Illinois. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in numerous states, a licensed attorney in Illinois, & a LEED AP. Mr. Talbot has been Principal in Charge of over 50 major infrastructure & transportation projects, & has been a practicing civil engineer for over 30 years.

PROGRAM

DAY 1: Friday, November 4- Business Conference and Expo

7:30 - 9:00 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

Network with other Green Economy leaders and visit the Exhibits.
Sign up for a 15-minute one-on-one consultation with a Delta Institute expert in the Appraisal Center from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Drop off your e-waste with the official e-waste collection provider anytime during the day.

9:00 - 10:00 Keynote Address

Don Bartell, Senior Director, Environmental Initiatives at Motorola

Bartell works with teams across the company on a comprehensive strategy to advance and showcase Motorola's commitment to Corporate Responsibility. Don will share his experience driving environmental improvements across the entire value chain and offer insights about how any company can get started on a more sustainable path.

10:00 - 10:30 Break, Visit Exhibits

10:30 - 11:15 Breakout #1: Sustainability and the Supply Chain

Presenter: William Schleizer, Delta Institute
11:30 - 12:15 Breakout #2: Green Certifications: What Do They Mean, Who Needs Them?

Presenters: Kevin Dick, Delta Institute
12:30 - 1:45 GEAR Business Roundtable and Lunch

Moderator:
Richard McGinniss, Publisher, Mindful Metropolis Magazine

Presenter and Panelists: TBD
2:00 - 2:45 p.m. Breakout #3: Talking Dollars and Sense about Sustainability

Presenters: Abby Corso, Delta Institute and Jon Levey GreenChoice Bank
3:00 - 3:45 p.m. Breakout #4: Emerging Markets for Green Products and Services

Presenter and Panelists: TBD
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Networking Reception on the Exhibit Floor

To attend the event, click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved

SustaiNEXT-West Conference: An Educational Framework for Universal Sustainability

SustaiNEXT-West, will take place on November 3 and 4, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. This conference is positioned to address the challenges of today and tomorrow including economic growth, jobs and education.

The SustaiNEXT-West Conference includes a forum to discuss universal sustainability and next generation thinking for sustainability. Like the SustaiNext-East program in March 2011, this conference promises to advance critical discussions relative to sustainability. SustaiNext-East explored sustainability thought-leadership relative to workforce preparedness. The SustaiNEXT-West Conference will address paths for transforming sustainability education and the economy through public and private partnerships.

Universal sustainability is a new concept developed by Robert L. Lattimer, senior fellow of diversity studies at Rutgers University, which centers on the belief that “society seeks to explore, exist within, and to preserve (our natural world).”

Hosted by the Sustainability Collaborative, recognized as a leading think-tank, research consultancy, and conference facilitator in the field of sustainability, Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and IHS (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of information and analysis, and other notable sponsors.

The conference will bring together leading voices in sustainability from business, academia, government and community to explore universal sustainability. Speakers will provide perspectives and viewpoints from across the private and public spectrum with the aim of moving from thought-leadership to action- leadership.

Lattimer will lead the discussion and will be joined at the event by other notable speakers including: Leland H. Hartwell, distinguished sustainability scientist, Arizona State University Global Institute of Sustainability, and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine; and Gary Cohen, co-founder, president, and executive director of Health Care without Harm, the international campaign for environmentally responsible healthcare.

During the opening session on universal sustainability, panel participants will discuss the future state for sustainable change within industry, education and the 21st century global society, including the important influence of public policy. In moving toward the goal of universal sustainability, sustainable development, in a real sense, begins with human development, and education is the primary vehicle for making the transition to universal sustainability a reality.

The educational panel will convene with a goal of translating the conclusions formulated throughout the conference into a concrete curriculum for sustainability that spans from kindergarten through graduate school, but also addresses the needs of businesses and communities moving toward universal sustainability. Ultimately, the objective of this summit is to provide an educational framework that helps drive future efforts to ensure the public, business leaders and policy makers are literate about how to accomplish universal sustainability.

SustaiNEXT-West Summit Presenters include:

• Mari Koerner, dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
• Michael Maggio, vice president, Global Strategic Design Operations at Johnson & Johnson Group of Consumer Companies Ranjet Banejee, vice president, BD Medical – Medical Surgical Systems
• Roger McFadden, vice president and senior scientist for Staples, Inc.
• Brian M. Murphy, dean, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, Stephen F. Austin State University
• William Forbes, director, Center for a Livable World, and associate professor of geography, Stephen F. Austin State University
• Pierre McDonagh, group head and senior lecturer in Marketing, Dublin City University Business School, Dublin City University, Ireland
• Michael Ochs, assistant director of Environment, Health and Safety, Arizona State University
• Marilyn Johnson, director, corporate sustainability at IHS, and program director of SustaiNEXT-West
• Ann Lee-Jeffs, global product stewardship manager, Johnson & Johnson; Worldwide Environment, Health and Safety; and Sustainability Collaborative founder/chief executive officer
• Joe Pryweller, senior editor and event organizer, Packaging Strategies
• Ed Quevedo, senior counsel and chair, Sustainability Practice Group, Paladin Law Group
• John Gould, director, Educational Leadership and Change Program, Drexel University
• Chien-Wei Han, instructional faculty, Pima Community College
• Fenna Hanes, senior director of Professional and Resource Development, New England Board of Higher Education
• Michelle Williams, assistant professor of elementary education, Stephen F. Austin State University

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.