2008 Woodie Awards
Pipeline calls many factors into question
Some South Dakota politicians believe possible economic growth outweighs the risks.
Andrew Boerema
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
A new crude oil pipeline plans to travel through South Dakota. Will the benefits of the project be overshadowed by its risks?
The pipeline will be a part of a 2,148-mile project named Keystone being planned by TransCanada, a North American energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. It is aimed at transporting crude oil from Canadian fields to refineries in the United States at a rate of 435,000 barrels per day by late 2009. Its planned route will take the pipeline across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri to refineries in Patoka, Ill., and Cushing, Okla.
However, it has some landowners wondering how they will benefit from having a crude oil pipeline running under their land.
"What we need to do is stop relying on non-renewable energy sources," said Ashley Wells, a freshman psychology major. "Until we can move away from that, the pitfalls will always outweigh the benefits in the long run."
A number of factors have been called into question with respect to the route currently planned for the pipeline. One of the most serious of these concerns is the James Aquifer system. The pipeline will run through an area of the aquifer that is very shallow, increasing the risks of water table contamination in the event of a leak from the pipeline. In most other locations along the route, the water table is protected from surface runoff by a layer of material that does not allow oil to easily pass. A spill even in areas protected by this layer of material would cause harm to the local environment, particularly because nearly the entire route travels through farmland.
"The question is, why isn't this tar sand crude oil being refined in Canada and the jobs it will create, retained there and refined fuel shipped by pipe?" testified Curt Hohn in front of the Public Utilities Commission in late 2007. Hohn is the General Manager of WEB Water Development Association, Inc., and has particular interest in the project as it travels through the area to which his company provides water for the state. "The answer is, because tar sands is the bottom of the oil barrel and contains chemicals, toxins and elements that once removed from the crude oil are difficult to handle and dispose of."
The pipeline will be a part of a 2,148-mile project named Keystone being planned by TransCanada, a North American energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. It is aimed at transporting crude oil from Canadian fields to refineries in the United States at a rate of 435,000 barrels per day by late 2009. Its planned route will take the pipeline across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri to refineries in Patoka, Ill., and Cushing, Okla.
However, it has some landowners wondering how they will benefit from having a crude oil pipeline running under their land.
"What we need to do is stop relying on non-renewable energy sources," said Ashley Wells, a freshman psychology major. "Until we can move away from that, the pitfalls will always outweigh the benefits in the long run."
A number of factors have been called into question with respect to the route currently planned for the pipeline. One of the most serious of these concerns is the James Aquifer system. The pipeline will run through an area of the aquifer that is very shallow, increasing the risks of water table contamination in the event of a leak from the pipeline. In most other locations along the route, the water table is protected from surface runoff by a layer of material that does not allow oil to easily pass. A spill even in areas protected by this layer of material would cause harm to the local environment, particularly because nearly the entire route travels through farmland.
"The question is, why isn't this tar sand crude oil being refined in Canada and the jobs it will create, retained there and refined fuel shipped by pipe?" testified Curt Hohn in front of the Public Utilities Commission in late 2007. Hohn is the General Manager of WEB Water Development Association, Inc., and has particular interest in the project as it travels through the area to which his company provides water for the state. "The answer is, because tar sands is the bottom of the oil barrel and contains chemicals, toxins and elements that once removed from the crude oil are difficult to handle and dispose of."
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