Nebraska Farmers Union

1305 Plum Street • Lincoln, NE 68502 www.nebraskafarmersunion.org Contact John Hansen Office: 402-476-8815 Fax: 402-476-8859 Cell: 402-580-8815 john@nebraskafarmersunion.org

For Immediate Release Contact: John Hansen 402-476-8815

October 10, 2011

Nebraska Farmers Union Calls On State Department To Clarify Keystone XL Onwership

LINCOLN (October 10, 2011) – Nebraska Farmers Union (NEFU) released its comments to the State Department of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In the formal comments, NEFU provided information from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers documenting tar sands oil ownership showing substantial foreign ownership. It also included: “Based on the October 2, 2011 New York Times Editorial: “Say No to the Keystone XL”, three fourths of the oil to be transported by the TransCanada XL pipeline is destined for export.”

NEFU comments said, “These two sources of information cause us to ask: Does the State Department know who owns the oil and its destination? If the State Department does not know, it is imperative that it finds out. The final destination of this oil goes to the heart of the matter relative to national interests. The pipeline proponents have claimed the pipeline will improve our national security and reduce our nation’s reliance on Mideast oil. How can the public make their own judgment about whether this proposed pipeline is in the national interest unless they know the destination of the oil? We call on the State Department to gather the pipeline oil ownership and final destination and release this information to the public.”

“Let’s put the facts on the table so American citizens can make their own informed judgments about whether this proposed pipeline is in the national interests. Our U.S. State Department owes an honest accounting of the ownership and destination of the tar sands to be transported through the pipeline,” said John Hansen, President of Nebraska Farmers Union. “Based on our research, it appears this pipeline is more in the national interests of China so it can gets its tar sands oil moved through their China sourced steel pipes to their China owned oil refinery on the east coast of Texas so they can export their oil home to China. It is less than clear why it is in the U.S. national interests to help foreign countries and companies get their Canadian tar sand oils home.”

Among other issues raise, the NEFU comments also focused on leaks. The comments stated: “The National Response Center data for pipeline leaks document 18,558 pipeline leaks in the last twelve years, which is an average of 1,546 pipeline leaks per year. The Keystone I Pipeline has experienced 14 spills since it was put into service in the last 12 months. Their Bison Project, which is a Natural Gas Pipeline, has seen a major cave in over a section of the route in Montana. The EIS estimate about leaks is simply not realistic.”

The NEFU comments stated: “It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when, how often, and how much leakage their will be. As a result, the route itself becomes of critical importance. It is not prudent to tempt fate. The current route is not the safest route. The current route is an environmental, economic, and sociological disaster waiting to happen. While it is not possible to prevent natural disasters, it is possible to reduce the number of man-made environmental disasters.” Hansen concluded, “The current route through the Ogallala aquifer is an unnecessary risk that a prudent person would not take. That is why we urge Nebraskans who are concerned about the safety of our water to call our state senators and ask them to support a Special Session. In order to protect our natural resources, Nebraska must claim and appropriately use the state authority it has relative to the siting and routing of oil pipelines. The state currently regulates other kinds of pipelines, why not oil pipelines?”

Since 1913 Nebraska Farmers Union has been working to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.

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