Submit a Public Comment: NO "Keystone Light" Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality
Some are calling it "Keystone Light," but don’t let this name fool you – the new Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project could pump just as much tarsands oil as the once-proposed Keystone XL pipeline, and would pose the same threats to the land, tribal sovereignty, property rights and the Ogallala aquifer as before.
The oil slated for this pipeline is anything but light; in fact, tarsands oil is some of the heaviest and dirtiest sour crude in the world. The only thing that’s “light” about this proposal, is its commitment to transparency and honesty. The current plan only describes how the oil gets from Canada down through Montana to Guernsey, in southeastern Wyoming. But existing infrastructure in Guernsey not equipped to handle that much additional oil. So, where does the oil go from there?
Oil industry analysts say this proposal cannot be built without an additional brand new pipeline, originating from Guernsey.
So the South Bow + Bridger proposal, as it exists in current permit applications, is essentially a "pipeline to nowhere."
The only region that could absorb this additional heavy tarsands crude from Canada is the Gulf Coast. To get there, a new pipeline could travel southeast from Guernsey through Colorado and Kansas, following the route of Tallgrass Energy’s Pony Express Pipeline, to the refinery and oil hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, and then to the Gulf Coast.
In the alternative, analysts say – a new pipeline could cut east across the entire state of Nebraska – to Steele City, where it could link up with the original Keystone pipeline system that flows south to the Gulf refineries.
We have fought and defeated the Keystone XL tarsands pipeline route through Nebraska twice before.
We will not allow this "Keystone Light" or any other tarsands pipeline through Nebraska, or the U.S.
Our unlikely alliance of farmers and ranchers, Tribal Nations, and everyday citizens who care about our land and water is watching this situation closely, and we encourage everyone to speak up now – and submit a written comment.
Contrary to longstanding American public hearing traditions, the federal government no longer allows the kind of day-long, true public hearings held by the State Dept. in Grand Island, Nebraska back in 2013 when Keystone XL was proposed.
For the Bridger project, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is only accepting written comments.
That means the public “meetings” announced by the BLM are likely only being produced in order to check that box for "public participation."
If you attend one of these public meetings, there will be NO opportunity for people to give oral testimony to federal and state regulators, or hear each other’s comments in the public forum.
The ongoing shocks to global oil markets and higher prices at neighborhood gas stations mean that it is more important now than ever to develop alternatives to our dependency on tar sands oil, which is the most expensive oil to extract in the world. The administration has put our country on the wrong energy track, and its war of choice is making a bad situation much, much worse.
Submit a written comment to make sure your voice is heard
(*You can add your own concerns in the "Comments" field before you click "Submit Comment." Be sure to mention if you are a landowner near where the pipeline might be sited in Montana, Wyoming or Nebraska.)
NO "KEYSTONE LIGHT" PIPELINE.
Sponsored by
To:
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality
From:
[Your Name]
I write today to oppose the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project.
The project would pose the threat of a tarsands pipeline spill to vital waterways across Montana and Wyoming. If actually brought to completion – despite forceful political, economic, indigenous, landowner and grassroots opposition – the most likely project footprint could also potentially impact Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.
The project would increase our dependence on expensive foreign oil during a war that is crushing global oil markets. The Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project would not provide true energy security. Instead, it would further addict the U.S. economy to yesterday’s energy solutions.
What's more, market analysis indicates the project as proposed is not commercially viable unless an additional pipeline is built to move the oil that would be transported by the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project out of Guernsey, Wyoming.
The Bureau of Land Management should reject all permit applications, and stop federal National Environmental Policy Act review until the full geographic extent of the project, including all necessary downstream infrastructure, is disclosed by the project developer.
That additional downstream infrastructure is needed, is indicated by the open season capacity auction held by Bridger and Tallgrass Energy to transport oil not just to Guernsey, but to Cushing, Oklahoma.
I am opposed to the Bridger Pipeline Expansion Project for the following reasons:
Pipeline Safety and Integrity: South Bow’s (formerly TC Energy, and originally TransCanada’s) original Keystone pipeline has to date spilled 1.2 million gallons across at least 23 spills over 16 years since it was built. So many spills that analysts have cited the Keystone pipeline's physical integrity as one of the biggest risks to South Bow's investment thesis. Bridger Pipeline also paid a $1 million fine after 50,000 gallons of oil leaked from its pipeline into the Yellowstone River. A spill on this new pipeline would threaten rural communities and farmers, and potentially the Ogallala aquifer.
Water Supply Contamination Risks: I am concerned that a pipeline crossing the Ogallala Aquifer creates risks to the drinking water needed by millions of people and the regional’s agricultural industry. Potential spills threaten to contaminate this water supply.
Indigenous Rights and Tribal Sovereignty: Indigenous leaders have argued that the project and its route does not respect treaty rights and did not allow for adequate consultation over native lands and sacred sites.
"Man Camp" Safety Issues: The construction of "man camps" -- temporary housing for workers -- could lead to increased rates of sexual violence against local indigenous women, and other crimes.
Continued dependence on polluting and limited crude oil reserves: We need forward-looking energy solutions, not solutions that keep us tied to energy resources with prices that can be severely impacted by international conflicts.