A tale of Two Oil Spills From Frontier Center for Public Policy: So much discussion and hard feelings have been exchanged between the naysayers and the supporters of the new Keystone...

ninetogo

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exchanged between the naysayers and the supporters of the new Keystone XL pipeline. We hear the traditional propaganda voiced on the left that list many reasons not to build this new piece to the US pipeline infrastructure. Many of these types do not listen to documentation or voices of experts in the pipeline industry. This begs the question as to why are OPEC interest making massive funding contributions to many of the environmental groups? Let's look at this from another angle............

A Tale of Two Oil Spills: Greens fret over pipeline leaks but are mute about train derailments.

EnvironmentEnergy
What's the difference between an oil spill from a pipeline and an oil spill from a train? Answer: A lesson in political opportunism.

The media have played up Friday's discovery of an oil leak in an old Exxon XOM -0.38%Mobil pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas. It isn't clear how much oil escaped from the 850-mile Pegasus pipeline, but Exxon says it responded with teams and equipment able to handle as much as 10,000 barrels and that by early Saturday it had stopped the flow and begun cleanup.

The real reason for the headlines is that Pegasus was delivering heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands to Texas. This is similar to the oil the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver from Canada to the Gulf Coast, and the anti-Keystone capos are using the Exxon spill to scare up political opposition to the new pipeline.

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey rewrote a familiar press release, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said "this latest toxic mess" proves that "it's not a matter of if spills will occur on dangerous pipelines like Keystone XL, but rather, when."

All of this is in marked contrast to the non-reaction last week when a Canadian Pacific Railway CP.T -2.73%train carrying crude to Chicago derailed in western Minnesota, spilling about 15,000 gallons. Much of the press also ignored the train accident, though the spill was certainly serious and also took place near a town.

The train wreck illustrates one economic reality of the U.S. shale drilling boom, which is that energy companies have turned to shipping by rail as pipeline capacity has been filled. The volume of oil t***sported by U.S. rail has surged to 233,811 carloads in 2012 from 9,500 as recently as 2008. This means boom times for freight rail lines, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which is owned by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway BRKB -0.75%.

Rail is not the safest way to t***sport oil, however. Journal reporters recently analyzed federal data and found that railroad-related oil incidents are soaring, with 112 oil spills reported from 2010 to 2012 compared to 10 in the previous three years. The spills are small compared to the volumes that trains are carrying, and railways are essential in areas that aren't connected to pipelines.

By contrast, oil pipelines carry far more crude and have fewer leaks per mile. They also present fewer safety risks than the 2008 explosions when Burlington Northern Santa Fe oil cars caught fire in Oklahoma, requiring evacuations. "Railroads travel through population centers. The safest form of t***sport for this type of product is a pipeline," former Clinton National T***sportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall told Reuters after the Minnesota accident.

The greens are flogging claims that Canada's oil-sands crude is more corrosive to pipelines than is other oil, and that this makes the Pegasus leak (and future Keystone leaks) inevitable. Oil experts refute that claim. In any case Pegasus was built in the 1940s, and about half of America's 2.3 million miles of pipeline were built more than 40 years ago. The best way to minimize leaks is to replace this aging network with modern pipelines such as the one planned for the Keystone XL, which use technology that instantly recognizes leaks and immediately shuts down oil flow.

No form of energy production or t***sport is without risks, so the issue is how to do it as safely and efficiently as possible. Canada and North Dakota are going to keep producing oil as long as America and the world keep using it, which is likely to be many decades. The tale of these two oil spills is one more argument to build the Keystone XL.

mtman2

ninetogo wrote:

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exchanged between the naysayers and the supporters of the new Keystone XL pipeline. We hear the traditional propaganda voiced on the left that list many reasons not to build this new piece to the US pipeline infrastructure. Many of these types do not listen to documentation or voices of experts in the pipeline industry. This begs the question as to why are OPEC interest making massive funding contributions to many of the environmental groups? Let's look at this from another angle............

A Tale of Two Oil Spills: Greens fret over pipeline leaks but are mute about train derailments.

EnvironmentEnergy
What's the difference between an oil spill from a pipeline and an oil spill from a train? Answer: A lesson in political opportunism.

The media have played up Friday's discovery of an oil leak in an old Exxon XOM -0.38%Mobil pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas. It isn't clear how much oil escaped from the 850-mile Pegasus pipeline, but Exxon says it responded with teams and equipment able to handle as much as 10,000 barrels and that by early Saturday it had stopped the flow and begun cleanup.

The real reason for the headlines is that Pegasus was delivering heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands to Texas. This is similar to the oil the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver from Canada to the Gulf Coast, and the anti-Keystone capos are using the Exxon spill to scare up political opposition to the new pipeline.

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey rewrote a familiar press release, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said "this latest toxic mess" proves that "it's not a matter of if spills will occur on dangerous pipelines like Keystone XL, but rather, when."

All of this is in marked contrast to the non-reaction last week when a Canadian Pacific Railway CP.T -2.73%train carrying crude to Chicago derailed in western Minnesota, spilling about 15,000 gallons. Much of the press also ignored the train accident, though the spill was certainly serious and also took place near a town.

The train wreck illustrates one economic reality of the U.S. shale drilling boom, which is that energy companies have turned to shipping by rail as pipeline capacity has been filled. The volume of oil t***sported by U.S. rail has surged to 233,811 carloads in 2012 from 9,500 as recently as 2008. This means boom times for freight rail lines, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which is owned by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway BRKB -0.75%.

Rail is not the safest way to t***sport oil, however. Journal reporters recently analyzed federal data and found that railroad-related oil incidents are soaring, with 112 oil spills reported from 2010 to 2012 compared to 10 in the previous three years. The spills are small compared to the volumes that trains are carrying, and railways are essential in areas that aren't connected to pipelines.

By contrast, oil pipelines carry far more crude and have fewer leaks per mile. They also present fewer safety risks than the 2008 explosions when Burlington Northern Santa Fe oil cars caught fire in Oklahoma, requiring evacuations. "Railroads travel through population centers. The safest form of t***sport for this type of product is a pipeline," former Clinton National T***sportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall told Reuters after the Minnesota accident.

The greens are flogging claims that Canada's oil-sands crude is more corrosive to pipelines than is other oil, and that this makes the Pegasus leak (and future Keystone leaks) inevitable. Oil experts refute that claim. In any case Pegasus was built in the 1940s, and about half of America's 2.3 million miles of pipeline were built more than 40 years ago. The best way to minimize leaks is to replace this aging network with modern pipelines such as the one planned for the Keystone XL, which use technology that instantly recognizes leaks and immediately shuts down oil flow.

No form of energy production or t***sport is without risks, so the issue is how to do it as safely and efficiently as possible. Canada and North Dakota are going to keep producing oil as long as America and the world keep using it, which is likely to be many decades. The tale of these two oil spills is one more argument to build the Keystone XL.

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exc... (show quote)

DITTO ~!!!

funguy1949

ninetogo wrote:

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exchanged between the naysayers and the supporters of the new Keystone XL pipeline. We hear the traditional propaganda voiced on the left that list many reasons not to build this new piece to the US pipeline infrastructure. Many of these types do not listen to documentation or voices of experts in the pipeline industry. This begs the question as to why are OPEC interest making massive funding contributions to many of the environmental groups? Let's look at this from another angle............

A Tale of Two Oil Spills: Greens fret over pipeline leaks but are mute about train derailments.

EnvironmentEnergy
What's the difference between an oil spill from a pipeline and an oil spill from a train? Answer: A lesson in political opportunism.

The media have played up Friday's discovery of an oil leak in an old Exxon XOM -0.38%Mobil pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas. It isn't clear how much oil escaped from the 850-mile Pegasus pipeline, but Exxon says it responded with teams and equipment able to handle as much as 10,000 barrels and that by early Saturday it had stopped the flow and begun cleanup.

The real reason for the headlines is that Pegasus was delivering heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands to Texas. This is similar to the oil the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver from Canada to the Gulf Coast, and the anti-Keystone capos are using the Exxon spill to scare up political opposition to the new pipeline.

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey rewrote a familiar press release, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said "this latest toxic mess" proves that "it's not a matter of if spills will occur on dangerous pipelines like Keystone XL, but rather, when."

All of this is in marked contrast to the non-reaction last week when a Canadian Pacific Railway CP.T -2.73%train carrying crude to Chicago derailed in western Minnesota, spilling about 15,000 gallons. Much of the press also ignored the train accident, though the spill was certainly serious and also took place near a town.

The train wreck illustrates one economic reality of the U.S. shale drilling boom, which is that energy companies have turned to shipping by rail as pipeline capacity has been filled. The volume of oil t***sported by U.S. rail has surged to 233,811 carloads in 2012 from 9,500 as recently as 2008. This means boom times for freight rail lines, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which is owned by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway BRKB -0.75%.

Rail is not the safest way to t***sport oil, however. Journal reporters recently analyzed federal data and found that railroad-related oil incidents are soaring, with 112 oil spills reported from 2010 to 2012 compared to 10 in the previous three years. The spills are small compared to the volumes that trains are carrying, and railways are essential in areas that aren't connected to pipelines.

By contrast, oil pipelines carry far more crude and have fewer leaks per mile. They also present fewer safety risks than the 2008 explosions when Burlington Northern Santa Fe oil cars caught fire in Oklahoma, requiring evacuations. "Railroads travel through population centers. The safest form of t***sport for this type of product is a pipeline," former Clinton National T***sportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall told Reuters after the Minnesota accident.

The greens are flogging claims that Canada's oil-sands crude is more corrosive to pipelines than is other oil, and that this makes the Pegasus leak (and future Keystone leaks) inevitable. Oil experts refute that claim. In any case Pegasus was built in the 1940s, and about half of America's 2.3 million miles of pipeline were built more than 40 years ago. The best way to minimize leaks is to replace this aging network with modern pipelines such as the one planned for the Keystone XL, which use technology that instantly recognizes leaks and immediately shuts down oil flow.

No form of energy production or t***sport is without risks, so the issue is how to do it as safely and efficiently as possible. Canada and North Dakota are going to keep producing oil as long as America and the world keep using it, which is likely to be many decades. The tale of these two oil spills is one more argument to build the Keystone XL.

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exc... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: 100% Correct not to mention a boost to the economy as well/plus job's.

Hemiman Loc: Communist California

Amen

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

ninetogo wrote:

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exchanged between the naysayers and the supporters of the new Keystone XL pipeline. We hear the traditional propaganda voiced on the left that list many reasons not to build this new piece to the US pipeline infrastructure. Many of these types do not listen to documentation or voices of experts in the pipeline industry. This begs the question as to why are OPEC interest making massive funding contributions to many of the environmental groups? Let's look at this from another angle............

A Tale of Two Oil Spills: Greens fret over pipeline leaks but are mute about train derailments.

EnvironmentEnergy
What's the difference between an oil spill from a pipeline and an oil spill from a train? Answer: A lesson in political opportunism.

The media have played up Friday's discovery of an oil leak in an old Exxon XOM -0.38%Mobil pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas. It isn't clear how much oil escaped from the 850-mile Pegasus pipeline, but Exxon says it responded with teams and equipment able to handle as much as 10,000 barrels and that by early Saturday it had stopped the flow and begun cleanup.

The real reason for the headlines is that Pegasus was delivering heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands to Texas. This is similar to the oil the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver from Canada to the Gulf Coast, and the anti-Keystone capos are using the Exxon spill to scare up political opposition to the new pipeline.

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey rewrote a familiar press release, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said "this latest toxic mess" proves that "it's not a matter of if spills will occur on dangerous pipelines like Keystone XL, but rather, when."

All of this is in marked contrast to the non-reaction last week when a Canadian Pacific Railway CP.T -2.73%train carrying crude to Chicago derailed in western Minnesota, spilling about 15,000 gallons. Much of the press also ignored the train accident, though the spill was certainly serious and also took place near a town.

The train wreck illustrates one economic reality of the U.S. shale drilling boom, which is that energy companies have turned to shipping by rail as pipeline capacity has been filled. The volume of oil t***sported by U.S. rail has surged to 233,811 carloads in 2012 from 9,500 as recently as 2008. This means boom times for freight rail lines, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which is owned by Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway BRKB -0.75%.

Rail is not the safest way to t***sport oil, however. Journal reporters recently analyzed federal data and found that railroad-related oil incidents are soaring, with 112 oil spills reported from 2010 to 2012 compared to 10 in the previous three years. The spills are small compared to the volumes that trains are carrying, and railways are essential in areas that aren't connected to pipelines.

By contrast, oil pipelines carry far more crude and have fewer leaks per mile. They also present fewer safety risks than the 2008 explosions when Burlington Northern Santa Fe oil cars caught fire in Oklahoma, requiring evacuations. "Railroads travel through population centers. The safest form of t***sport for this type of product is a pipeline," former Clinton National T***sportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall told Reuters after the Minnesota accident.

The greens are flogging claims that Canada's oil-sands crude is more corrosive to pipelines than is other oil, and that this makes the Pegasus leak (and future Keystone leaks) inevitable. Oil experts refute that claim. In any case Pegasus was built in the 1940s, and about half of America's 2.3 million miles of pipeline were built more than 40 years ago. The best way to minimize leaks is to replace this aging network with modern pipelines such as the one planned for the Keystone XL, which use technology that instantly recognizes leaks and immediately shuts down oil flow.

No form of energy production or t***sport is without risks, so the issue is how to do it as safely and efficiently as possible. Canada and North Dakota are going to keep producing oil as long as America and the world keep using it, which is likely to be many decades. The tale of these two oil spills is one more argument to build the Keystone XL.

So much discussion and hard feelings have been exc... (show quote)

It's really irrelevant how crude is shipped. The question needs to be, who is responsible for the SAFE shipment of such substances? To answer that question, one will have to involve themselves in the bureaucratic nightmare that is the Federal Government. The EPA? The energy Dept.? The Bureau of Railroads? The Bureau of Land Management? Take your pick.

The energy companies and environmental groups each have lobbying firms, that lobby the members of the various congressional committee's that "over see" or fund the appropriate bureaus, departments, or agencies involved. Each has their own agendas, which theoretically - should be the same - the safety and well being of all Americans. Since these groups are in conflict, the difference must either be in "safety", or "well being". Determining who's "safety", or who's "well being" is of concern, will answer that question.

ninetogo

lpnmajor wrote:

It's really irrelevant how crude is shipped. The q... (show quote)

____________________________________________________________
lpnmajor: Good points! Thanks.

funguy1949

lpnmajor wrote:

It's really irrelevant how crude is shipped. The q... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: VERY GOOD POINTS BUT THE BIG ?? IS HOW MUCH MONEY IS PUT IN THERE POCKETS NOW THAT"s THE REAL ?? ON HOW THEY WILL V**E.

sofaman42

ninetogo wrote:

____________________________________________________________
lpnmajor: Good points! Thanks.

In determining whose well being is more important than safety, dig a little deeper to see what the REAL opposition is. The "Tree Huggers" are usually just pawns to protect a big dog's personal interests. In this case, as pointed out earlier, Warren Buffet has much to gain by rail shipment, and nothing by Pipeline. The Keystone project makes more sense than anything. It takes the pressure off the older line so it can be repaired easier. It carries considerably more crude to the refineries. It creates many more jobs, and it is considerably more safe than rail t***sport. To whom the money flows, will ultimately determine the political decision on the Keystone. Just a few years ago, our President Obama wanted the US to loan George Soros over one BILLION dollars to drill oil in South America. The oil was pre-sold to China. Now, that was a really good deal for the Country Obama says he loves. The Keystone Pipeline is a no-brainer, so why isn't Obama for it....he is good at NO-BRAINER stuff.