It Can Happen Here

It Can Happen Here

Dear Editor:

Friday afternoon, March 29, Pegasus pipeline, an Exxon Mobil pipeline carrying Canadian crude oil, ruptured and sent thousands of barrels of oil, a yet “officially” undetermined amount, into the streets and onto the property of residents of Mayflower. The rupture also occurred dangerously close to Lake Conway, within 2 miles of the Arkansas River, 60 miles downstream from Arkansas’ aging nuclear reactor, Arkansas Nuclear One, ANO, units one and two.

Opponents of the toxic semi-solid low quality tar sands petroleum product presently being extracted in Alberta, Canada, and carried through the heartland of the U.S. for refining and burning in foreign markets, primarily Asia, through the Keystone XL pipeline presently under construction in Texas and Oklahoma, have conceded this pipeline rupture may never be cleaned up completey, like the 850K+ gallon Enbridge pipe rupture that has been linked to several deaths and rendered a 40-mile section of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan almost lifeless in July of 2010.

While this fact may be true, it is of small satisfaction to the many residents of Mayflower who have witnessed their homes and property being essentially destroyed by this corporate accident in their community. Although some say environmentalists and activists against the pipeline are said to be “crying wolf” on oil spills, it is easy to see from this and the other spills occurring just this week, and their impending destruction, that pipelines burst, and when toxic chemicals, natural gas and an already destructive oil (thanks to the necessary strip mining and processing of the tar sands in Canada) are sent down a pressurized pipe through the middle of the U.S., concerns should be high.

For further information, contact TruthForce and Peoples’ Action for Safe Energy spokesperson, David Druding at our email address (kxlpipelinetruthforce@gmail.com) here or via phone (479-521-5677).

Sincerely:
David Druding
Fayetteville

Categories: Commentary