The Keystone Pipeline ruptured Wednesday night near a creek in northern Kansas, spilling what its operator, TC Energy, says is about 14,000 barrels of oil. This is equivalent to about 588,000 gallons (an Olympic swimming pool holds about 666,000 gallons). TC Energy says the leak is now contained.
"...the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents from executives at major oil companies revealing that they recognize that their products are creating a climate emergency but that they have no real plans for changing course."
The oil companies and the executives who run them will be remembered as killers — of untold millions of people, countless animal species, and perhaps one day the Earth itself. And for what? Money, of course. It's their god. And their dollars feed Republicans in Congress, who eagerly lap up what their masters serve them.
Loosely regulated capitalism is a doomsday machine.
Thank you Heather. I am so glad you wrote about this. I have a life long friend who is a trump supporter.. she and her 90+ year old Mother, who I’ve known since I was 14... for 44 years... both called me a liar when I tried to explain all this to them. They called me a liar when I told them thd Keystone Pipeline was fully functional. They called me a liar when I explained it was an extension to the Keystone that was halted. They called me a liar when I pointed out DAP was endangering sacred indigenous land and both it and the extension (XL) were at risk for contaminating watershed as well. It’s pretty much destroyed our relationship. I appreciate your documenting all of this, as when I attempted to show them the pipeline maps and documentation, they claimed it was all made up leftist propaganda. Thank you!
The “executives at major oil companies” are stupid, lazy, and arrogant They could have rebranded as general energy services companies years ago and diversified into renewables. It’s not like that suggestion wasn’t offered. But instead of investing in the future they invested in greed and greenwashing.
This is such a huge disaster if only for the poisoning of the soil. Are we capable of coming to terms with the work we must do to “make do” with less? We did it in WWII, but this America seems too drugged, too undereducated (do we get free college like France? free medical school for the qualified so we can survive the diseases of climate change?), too “exceptional” to find the flexibility for the democracy to survive, particularly given the Republican base.
Having just watched the MSNBC movie on student loans, I read about the oil spill and felt the most discouraged about US in days. If the Republicans do even a few of the horrors they plan, I fear that the America I have loved and voted for will be history.
Meanwhile we have to eat. Destroying farmland or even potential farmland needs to be criminalized. Where is the will to do that? To clean rivers and other water sources?
I suppose that's why these politicians are paid the big bucks. Everyone knows green renewable energy is the way to go. I'm glad Biden is one who is at least dragging us kicking and screaming into the future. And he's doing this temporarily by appeasing/negotiating people like Joe Manchin and events like the invasion of the Ukraine. Thank you for your analysis Dr. Richardson.
Thank you Professor Richardson. If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve never known the sequence of destruction & obstruction that demonstrates the struggle we’ve been facing between our choice to run this magnificent world to the ground or fill the coffers of those who don’t care about the world. I’m with our Native Americans, Obama & Biden. There are other better gentler ways to move a vehicle boat, or train. Suborn narcissistic egomaniacs need Threapy. This nation needs to train more mental health professionals. Actually reform prisoners. Teach actual history in schools, and stop greedy bullying nasty human men from ruining it all!!!
Also "In case you missed it": The ongoing Red Hill Hawaii disaster here on the island of Oahu, in which the US Navy has since the 1940s stored millions of gallons of jet and other fuels in huge underground tanks located only 100 FEET (no typo) over the main aquifer of the island. This aquifer is the primary source of water for the island. Over the years the Navy gambled and tolerated numerous "small" leaks, but a major leak in December 2021 contaminated a Navy well and sickened over a thousand military personnel, dependents, and civilians. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has shut down several of its wells to try to prevent fuel from reaching the aquifer, resulting in diminished supply for Honolulu and East Oahu. While the Navy--under severe pressure--has committed to defueling the tanks, there is no guarantee that a major breach cannot occur either before or during the defueling. This is a vast over-simplification of a complex and extremely serious situation. Search "Red Hill Hawaii" for much more.
We should bundle up this little Letter and tie it with a bow and give it as a Christmas present to all the loudmouthed right-wingers in our environs who still keep nattering on about this stupid pipeline. Even expert oilmen have admitted this thing would have been a huge mistake and would not at all have been of much benefit to this country. You'd never know it to hear voices on the right bang on about this thing. Back when prices were much higher they made it sound like this pipeline would be the answer to ALL our gasoline woes! That is basically laughable, or course. In any event, good to see the prices down lower now than a year ago, which has, thankfully, shut them up. This is an excellent summary.
There is a related element to this story on which I would like to hear Heather's take. As far as I know, unlike the writings of Plato, Hobbes, Locke, and others on the philosophy of human organization and governance, I do not think we have a similar corpus on the proper structure and purpose of non-human entities such as corporations.
Ever since the days of VOC (the Dutch East India Company), at best, the chartering and governance of corporations has been inconsistent and all over the map, with no real sense of aspirational values. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are silent on the rights and responsibilities of corporations. The 1886 high jacking of the 14th Amendment by Morrison Waite and Bancroft Davis in their head note to the Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific decision is about all there is, and sadly, it would seem that there has been quite dramatically more SCOTUS references to the 14th Amendment in cases of business law than cases involving human bondage. With the exception of the American Red Cross, virtually all corporate charters are granted at the state level, with no oversight by the state Attorneys General other than seeing that they pay their annual registration fees along with the meaningless accompanying report. So exactly how are we to hold the oil companies and others that behave similarly to account? What would it take to revoke their charters? They come into existence with a simple stroke of the pen, so why can't they be done away with just as easily? Is there some sort of right to corporate life or some such?
Too bad we have to keep hauling pipeline issues out … even with the managers of the oil industry ‘owning’ the fact that their industry is a climate destroyer…it’s too late at night for this conversation, but never too late to ask for Guidance & Power to make better choices. Thank you Heather for continuing to enlighten all of us…
The oil companies have the world by the throat and are strangling us day by day. We need to eliminate our dependence on oil instead of complaining about the price of gas.
Does anyone remember this?
“What if I told you that a multinational oil company allegedly polluted the Amazon for almost three decades? And that the oil company has spent even more years refusing to accept liability? Or that a US attorney who agreed to represent thousands of Ecuadorian villagers in a lawsuit against that oil company has lost his law license, income, spent hundreds of days under house arrest in New York, and in 2021 was sentenced to six months in prison?”
This lawyer should be world-famous for his battle with Chevron – but he’s in jail | Erin Brockovich | The Guardian
I remember back in the mid 70’s I was working for a engineering company in Fullerton Ca. One of the projects was to do a study on a pipeline from Canada through California to Midline Tx. Looking at the documents I was appalled at the fact so much of the project went through reservations in California.
Petroleum is used in so many products that weaning Americans off it will be extremely difficult indeed. Clothing, packaging, appliances, automobiles all have plastic components derived from petroleum. Still nearly 75 percent of a barrel of petroleum is converted to fuels for motor vehicles. It is long past time to abandon the internal combustion engine and convert to much less environmentally damaging transportation technology.
Professor Richardson, today’s letter includes important information Americans need to know. Our environment and our Democracy are endangered by the destruction and pollution of land and water, as well as the rights of Indigenous peoples to preserve historic lands. Connecting the use and the corporations, “Oversight and Reform released documents from executives at major oil companies revealing that they recognize that their products are creating a climate emergency but that they have no real plans for changing course.” This statement is released, but these corporations have admitted way before now that they know they are destroying the land. And when repubs are in power the destruction is approved. It seems it may be more than just repubs. Isn’t it all of us as we watch our land destroyed? Now is the time to stop all drilling and pipelines and make climate friendly power required. We have the technology and human power to harness Sun and Wind NOW. And our transportation systems. Not making it a choice but a requirement. Big business is powerful. A friend of mine protested at the Dakota Pipeline near Standing Rock and water protectors/ protestors were frequently arrested, jailed or mistreated. Officers would often prohibit food being brought in. Some protesters stayed all seasons including winter. A leak was feared and expected. How many reasons and facts do the people, voters, need to understand what irreversible damage will mean to our children and the future generations? Corporate power in full sight and often approved by repubs.
Only an astute professional historian like HCR could pull all of this together, and it should be on the front pages of the NYT & WAPO! 🙏
"...the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents from executives at major oil companies revealing that they recognize that their products are creating a climate emergency but that they have no real plans for changing course."
The oil companies and the executives who run them will be remembered as killers — of untold millions of people, countless animal species, and perhaps one day the Earth itself. And for what? Money, of course. It's their god. And their dollars feed Republicans in Congress, who eagerly lap up what their masters serve them.
Loosely regulated capitalism is a doomsday machine.
Thank you Heather. I am so glad you wrote about this. I have a life long friend who is a trump supporter.. she and her 90+ year old Mother, who I’ve known since I was 14... for 44 years... both called me a liar when I tried to explain all this to them. They called me a liar when I told them thd Keystone Pipeline was fully functional. They called me a liar when I explained it was an extension to the Keystone that was halted. They called me a liar when I pointed out DAP was endangering sacred indigenous land and both it and the extension (XL) were at risk for contaminating watershed as well. It’s pretty much destroyed our relationship. I appreciate your documenting all of this, as when I attempted to show them the pipeline maps and documentation, they claimed it was all made up leftist propaganda. Thank you!
The “executives at major oil companies” are stupid, lazy, and arrogant They could have rebranded as general energy services companies years ago and diversified into renewables. It’s not like that suggestion wasn’t offered. But instead of investing in the future they invested in greed and greenwashing.
This is such a huge disaster if only for the poisoning of the soil. Are we capable of coming to terms with the work we must do to “make do” with less? We did it in WWII, but this America seems too drugged, too undereducated (do we get free college like France? free medical school for the qualified so we can survive the diseases of climate change?), too “exceptional” to find the flexibility for the democracy to survive, particularly given the Republican base.
Having just watched the MSNBC movie on student loans, I read about the oil spill and felt the most discouraged about US in days. If the Republicans do even a few of the horrors they plan, I fear that the America I have loved and voted for will be history.
Meanwhile we have to eat. Destroying farmland or even potential farmland needs to be criminalized. Where is the will to do that? To clean rivers and other water sources?
I suppose that's why these politicians are paid the big bucks. Everyone knows green renewable energy is the way to go. I'm glad Biden is one who is at least dragging us kicking and screaming into the future. And he's doing this temporarily by appeasing/negotiating people like Joe Manchin and events like the invasion of the Ukraine. Thank you for your analysis Dr. Richardson.
Thank you Professor Richardson. If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve never known the sequence of destruction & obstruction that demonstrates the struggle we’ve been facing between our choice to run this magnificent world to the ground or fill the coffers of those who don’t care about the world. I’m with our Native Americans, Obama & Biden. There are other better gentler ways to move a vehicle boat, or train. Suborn narcissistic egomaniacs need Threapy. This nation needs to train more mental health professionals. Actually reform prisoners. Teach actual history in schools, and stop greedy bullying nasty human men from ruining it all!!!
Also "In case you missed it": The ongoing Red Hill Hawaii disaster here on the island of Oahu, in which the US Navy has since the 1940s stored millions of gallons of jet and other fuels in huge underground tanks located only 100 FEET (no typo) over the main aquifer of the island. This aquifer is the primary source of water for the island. Over the years the Navy gambled and tolerated numerous "small" leaks, but a major leak in December 2021 contaminated a Navy well and sickened over a thousand military personnel, dependents, and civilians. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has shut down several of its wells to try to prevent fuel from reaching the aquifer, resulting in diminished supply for Honolulu and East Oahu. While the Navy--under severe pressure--has committed to defueling the tanks, there is no guarantee that a major breach cannot occur either before or during the defueling. This is a vast over-simplification of a complex and extremely serious situation. Search "Red Hill Hawaii" for much more.
We should bundle up this little Letter and tie it with a bow and give it as a Christmas present to all the loudmouthed right-wingers in our environs who still keep nattering on about this stupid pipeline. Even expert oilmen have admitted this thing would have been a huge mistake and would not at all have been of much benefit to this country. You'd never know it to hear voices on the right bang on about this thing. Back when prices were much higher they made it sound like this pipeline would be the answer to ALL our gasoline woes! That is basically laughable, or course. In any event, good to see the prices down lower now than a year ago, which has, thankfully, shut them up. This is an excellent summary.
There is a related element to this story on which I would like to hear Heather's take. As far as I know, unlike the writings of Plato, Hobbes, Locke, and others on the philosophy of human organization and governance, I do not think we have a similar corpus on the proper structure and purpose of non-human entities such as corporations.
Ever since the days of VOC (the Dutch East India Company), at best, the chartering and governance of corporations has been inconsistent and all over the map, with no real sense of aspirational values. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are silent on the rights and responsibilities of corporations. The 1886 high jacking of the 14th Amendment by Morrison Waite and Bancroft Davis in their head note to the Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific decision is about all there is, and sadly, it would seem that there has been quite dramatically more SCOTUS references to the 14th Amendment in cases of business law than cases involving human bondage. With the exception of the American Red Cross, virtually all corporate charters are granted at the state level, with no oversight by the state Attorneys General other than seeing that they pay their annual registration fees along with the meaningless accompanying report. So exactly how are we to hold the oil companies and others that behave similarly to account? What would it take to revoke their charters? They come into existence with a simple stroke of the pen, so why can't they be done away with just as easily? Is there some sort of right to corporate life or some such?
Too bad we have to keep hauling pipeline issues out … even with the managers of the oil industry ‘owning’ the fact that their industry is a climate destroyer…it’s too late at night for this conversation, but never too late to ask for Guidance & Power to make better choices. Thank you Heather for continuing to enlighten all of us…
The oil companies have the world by the throat and are strangling us day by day. We need to eliminate our dependence on oil instead of complaining about the price of gas.
Does anyone remember this?
“What if I told you that a multinational oil company allegedly polluted the Amazon for almost three decades? And that the oil company has spent even more years refusing to accept liability? Or that a US attorney who agreed to represent thousands of Ecuadorian villagers in a lawsuit against that oil company has lost his law license, income, spent hundreds of days under house arrest in New York, and in 2021 was sentenced to six months in prison?”
This lawyer should be world-famous for his battle with Chevron – but he’s in jail | Erin Brockovich | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/08/chevron-amazon-ecuador-steven-donziger-erin-brockovich
I remember back in the mid 70’s I was working for a engineering company in Fullerton Ca. One of the projects was to do a study on a pipeline from Canada through California to Midline Tx. Looking at the documents I was appalled at the fact so much of the project went through reservations in California.
Petroleum is used in so many products that weaning Americans off it will be extremely difficult indeed. Clothing, packaging, appliances, automobiles all have plastic components derived from petroleum. Still nearly 75 percent of a barrel of petroleum is converted to fuels for motor vehicles. It is long past time to abandon the internal combustion engine and convert to much less environmentally damaging transportation technology.
Professor Richardson, today’s letter includes important information Americans need to know. Our environment and our Democracy are endangered by the destruction and pollution of land and water, as well as the rights of Indigenous peoples to preserve historic lands. Connecting the use and the corporations, “Oversight and Reform released documents from executives at major oil companies revealing that they recognize that their products are creating a climate emergency but that they have no real plans for changing course.” This statement is released, but these corporations have admitted way before now that they know they are destroying the land. And when repubs are in power the destruction is approved. It seems it may be more than just repubs. Isn’t it all of us as we watch our land destroyed? Now is the time to stop all drilling and pipelines and make climate friendly power required. We have the technology and human power to harness Sun and Wind NOW. And our transportation systems. Not making it a choice but a requirement. Big business is powerful. A friend of mine protested at the Dakota Pipeline near Standing Rock and water protectors/ protestors were frequently arrested, jailed or mistreated. Officers would often prohibit food being brought in. Some protesters stayed all seasons including winter. A leak was feared and expected. How many reasons and facts do the people, voters, need to understand what irreversible damage will mean to our children and the future generations? Corporate power in full sight and often approved by repubs.
Article from The Guardián about Corporate Crime and the Environment https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/30/climate-crimes-oil-and-gas-environment
The Indian wars - or rather the war on Indians - has never stopped.