Tag Archives: Keystone XL Pipeline

Public opposition is going to keep the Keystone XL Pipeline from being built any time soon

Posted on May 8, 2017 by davidjkatz

If you thought Donald Trump was going to wave a magic wand and get the Keystone XL Pipeline built, you should recognize that there is no magic and the pipeline isn’t going to be constructed any time soon.

TransCanada Corp, the principal builder of Keystone XL, is still not prepared to offer a firm timeline for the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline, its top executive said last week, even though President Trump granted the project a permit. According to TransCanada CEO Ross Girling, the pipeline sits in the company’s “long-term bucket” because of the remaining difficulty in getting it done. One of the key difficulties is the strong opposition of those concerned about the environmental impact of the pipeline.

Public opposition has kept the Keystone XL from being built so far, and it will continue to stand in the way, despite whatever the current administration in Washington wants to do. TransCanada recognizes that it will be take years to clear all the hurdles, and Trump’s order can be reversed by a subsequent US president, so the company is not willing to take unnecessary risk in committing to the pipeline. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Environmental implications of a Donald Trump presidency

Posted on November 9, 2016 by davidjkatz

Regardless of where you stand politically, Donald Trump’s election yesterday was an unexpected shock. There is no way to know all the environmental implications of his election, but we can expect significant deviation from the policies of the last eight years, and a return to the environmentally ruinous policies of the Bush/Cheney era.

This occurs at a time when public understanding and acceptance of the need to combat climate change is growing. We should be moving quickly to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy to reduce carbon emissions; instead it appears we will moving back to the era of “drill baby drill.”

Based on what I have heard and read, here are some of the known positions and statements of Donald Trump on the environment.

Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Montana elected leaders’ response to Keystone XL decision is unanimous, but not visionary

Posted on November 9, 2015 by davidjkatz

Say what you will about President Obama’s decision last week to reject TransCanada’s bid to build the Keystone XL Pipeline, it brought unity to Montana’s elected leaders. They were unanimous in their displeasure.

In their bipartisan agreement they claim to be fighting for jobs and economic development, which is admirable, but they are failing to lead in a way that will point Montana to long-term energy viability. Continue reading →

Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stillwater County News Guest Opinion: Dave Grimland

Posted on February 9, 2015 by davidjkatz

Why should Montana be helping the economy of Canada and oil companies located elsewhere? Why should we endanger Montana’s water and land resources for the sake of only limited (and inadequate) short-term gains? Continue reading →

Posted in Fracking Information | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Update: New information on railway safety (with video)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by davidjkatz

Today we have an update from previous posts on railway safety issues associated with oil transport, and have a look at new information on trends in this area. On June 18 the web site Politico provided an analysis of federal … Continue reading →

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