Posted June 10, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
In a report released last week, Goldman Sachs painted a clear picture outlining why Keystone XL is a linchpin for tar sands production and the significant climate emissions associated with it. NRDC and Oil Change International summarize Goldman Sachs’ key...continued→
Posted May 21, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
Proponents of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in the House are pushing forward a measure that would exempt the Canadian pipeline company TransCanada from legal requirements placed on domestic pipeline operators. H.R. 3, or the Northern Route Approval Act,...continued→
Posted April 23, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
The State Department’s comment period for the Keystone XL pipeline closed on Monday after the American public provided the agency more than a million comments critiquing its review and voicing concerns about the significant environmental impacts of the controversial project....continued→
Posted April 19, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, the State Department made a wrong decision on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. It refused to grant needed additional time for the American public to analyze and comment on the Department’s 3,500-page draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for...continued→
Posted April 18, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
In a critical investigation, Reuters has debunked the State Department’s argument that industry’s expansion plan for tar sands production, and the substantial climate emissions associated with it, can be fueled by rail if Keystone XL is rejected. Commentators in both the...continued→
Posted April 9, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
Tomorrow I will testify before the U.S. House of Representative’s Energy and Power subcommittee on the impact of the Keystone XL pipeline on tar sands production and the climate emissions associated with it. Financial analysts, industry commentators, and the environmental...continued→
Posted April 3, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
On March 29, Exxon’s Pegasus tar sands pipeline ruptured, flooding a suburban community outside of Little Rock, Arkansas with between 150,000 and 210,000 gallons (3,500 to 5,000 barrels) of tar sands crude. According to reports, the Pegasus line was...continued→
Posted April 2, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, U.S. Law and Policy
As the American public becomes acquainted with images of tar sands flowing across lawns, driveways and streets of an Arkansas suburb near Little Rock (for video of the spill go here), Exxon is now making the claim that the...continued→
Posted April 1, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
On Friday afternoon, Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline ruptured, spilling between 80,000 and 420,000 gallons of tar sands diluted bitumen in a suburban neighborhood in Mayflower, Arkansas. In 2010, a similar tar sands diluted bitumen spill into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River watershed...continued→
Posted March 30, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
In early 2011, NRDC raised concerns that an influx of tar sands on the U.S. pipeline network posed greater risks to pipeline integrity, challenges for leak detection systems and significantly increased impacts to sensitive water resources when spilled. Observing a...continued→
Posted March 6, 2013 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
In its recently released draft environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring tar sands from Canada to the Gulf Coast for export, the State Department attempts to make the case that rail could be a viable alternative....continued→
Posted January 22, 2013 by Anthony Swift
Nebraska’s Governor Heineman signed off on the updated route for the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline today. While it’s a disappointing decision, it’s neither surprising nor unexpected. The Governors rubber stamp decision stems from a flawed process that is...continued→
Posted December 12, 2012 by Anthony Swift
The U.S. State Department has recently indicated that it will issue a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline “in the near future.” While TransCanada has asked for a rubber stamp process than only...continued→
Posted December 11, 2012 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
News flash. A Texas judge just put a hold on construction of a portion of the southern section of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in response to a landowner’s pushback against eminent domain claims on his land. Michael...continued→
Posted November 23, 2012 by Anthony Swift in Moving Beyond Oil
The Globe and Mail recently reported on a study by Natural Resources Canada which evaluating the corrosivity of a variety of crudes, including diluted bitumen. In many ways, this study represents a missed opportunity. In Tar Sands Pipeline Safety Risks,...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
