Bill to Force Keystone Approval a Giveaway to Oil Companies

May 22- The U.S. House is set to vote this week on a bill by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) to shut down the review process and public comment, override protections for clean air and water, and force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Despite more than 1 million comments from Americans asking the State Department to say no to Keystone XL, the bill is expected to pass by a wide margin.

“It’s the wrong approach to put a foreign energy company ahead of more than 1 million Americans who have expressed concern for our nation’s wildlife, energy security and public health,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “This bill is nothing more than an effort to run roughshod over protections for landowners, wildlife and drinking water supplies so that TransCanada can get oil to Gulf coast refineries for export to China and other countries.”

Read more about the Keystone XL pipeline here.

National Sportsman’s Group Urges Gulf Restoration Council to Prioritize Ecosystem Projects

May 22- Today, more than 350 hunting and fishing businesses and organizations sent a letter to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, asking that the Council prioritize restoration of the Gulf ecosystem in order to also achieve economic restoration in the region.

The Restoration Council is a multi-state, multi-agency group that has been tasked with developing a comprehensive ecosystem restoration plan for the Gulf. The Council is currently developing the plan, with a draft due for public comment this spring.

Vanishing Paradise drafted the letter, which illustrated that hunting and fishing are major economic drivers in the Gulf and are supported by habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. In 2011, in the five Gulf states alone, nearly 8.5 million hunters and anglers spent $15.7 billion on their outdoor pursuits. This spending supports more than 255,000 jobs and generates $3.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

Read the letter here.

National Wildlife Federation names Maureen P. Smith Head of Marketing and Communications

May 21- The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has hired longtime entertainment industry executive and former conservation organization president, Maureen P. Smith, as its new Vice President of Marketing and Communications. In this role, Smith will be part of NWF’s executive leadership team and play a key role in a wide variety of areas throughout the organization and its programs, including: the global marketing and branding of NWF and its cherished mascot, Ranger Rick; internal and external communications; children’s publishing; digital products and online integration; consumer insight; and video and multi-media productions.

As the former top executive at Animal Planet, Fox Kids Network and Fox Family Channel, as well as at the non-profit Jane Goodall Institute, Smith brings to NWF years of experience in all aspects of communication and engagement; fundraising; developing and managing new revenue streams; and bringing the wonders and needs of the natural world to life – across a variety of media platforms and other consumer touchpoints.

“Bringing Maureen aboard is not only strategic, it is truly symbolic of NWF’s commitment to remaining the leading wildlife conservation-focused organization in America and to maximizing the impact of our voice and the voice of our members and affiliates – especially during these critical times for our environment,” said Jaime Matyas, NWF’s Chief Operating Officer.

National Wildlife Federation and National Aquarium Announce Plan to Certify Baltimore as the Largest Community Wildlife Habitat Along the Chesapeake Bay

May 20- For years, Baltimore has been known as “Birdland” and now, thanks to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the National Aquarium, it’s official. Today, First Lady of Maryland Katie O’Malley joined leaders from NWF, National Aquarium and city officials to launch a program aimed at greening city streets, backyards, schools and places of worship.

“We believe that your backyard can be a place for exploring and unleashing children’s curiosity,” said Hilary Harp Falk, Regional Executive Director for National Wildlife Federation. “Baltimore has always been a city for the birds, and we intend to work with partners in the City to create beautiful places which will offer opportunities to learn about and connect with the outdoors.”

By greening the city for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, residents of Baltimore will also help to improve both air and water quality for humans. The more native plantings that are used to attract wildlife, the greater potential the city has of reaching its Healthy Harbor goals and helping to clean the Chesapeake Bay.

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• NASDAQ:  National Wildlife Federation Rings The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell
• Times-Picayune: Coastal restoration is the focus of “Coastal Conversations” series in French Quarter
• CBS Denver: Udall seeks feedback on proposed monument
• Billings Gazette: Guest opinion: Good FWP planning can help resolve bison battles
• Deseret News: Lessons from the garden: Growing great kids, relationships

For more visit www.nwf.org/news

(Photo: Tarsandsaction)

Growing Momentum Against Keystone XL

While Rep. Terry’s measure (H.R. 3, the “Northern Route Approval Act”) passed as expected, this vote was yet another sign that momentum is growing to reject dirty tar sands, protect our communities from disastrous spills, and turn towards cleaner, renewable energy choices. And despite all the theatrics in Congress, the ball remains in President Obama’s court—where it belongs. Both the facts and the political winds support doing the right thing by saying NO to an unneeded tar sands export pipeline that would put our heartland at risk for spills and send us in the wrong direction on curbing carbon pollution.

Just last month, more than 1 million comments from Americans requested that the State Department reject Keystone XL.  Given the anti-environmental makeup of this Congress, the Terry bill was expected to pass by a wide margin, but numbers like these obviously made lawmakers take note.  As NWF president and CEO Larry Schweiger said about the KXL pipeline:

It’s the wrong approach to put a foreign energy company ahead of more than 1 million Americans who have expressed concern for our nation’s wildlife, energy security and public health.

Indeed it is.  The risks of Keystone XL are huge; the reward is 35 permanent jobs in exchange for higher gas prices, oiled wildlife and communities, and another step towards climate calamity.

The Tar Sands Industry’s Plans for Your Backyard

The Great Plains aren’t the only region threatened by reckless tar sands pipeline expansion:

• In 2010, an Enbridge, Inc. pipeline ruptured in Michigan, spilling a million gallons of tar sands oil into the Kalamazoo River. Three years and close to $1 billion later, the cleanup continues. Enbridge is laying the groundwork for pipeline expansions that would dwarf Keystone XL and put the Great Lakes watershed in danger of another spill.  We need to say no to this proposal as well.
• Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline, reversed to carry tar sands oil, spilled into an Arkansas neighborhood in March, forcing dozens from their homes and oiling hundreds of animals including birds and turtles.
• Now, Exxon and Enbridge want to reverse a pipeline through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to carry tar sands oil to the international market.  The entire New England delegation voted against Rep. Terry’s Big Oil giveaway bill, and the message from New England is clear: it wants a clean energy future, not oil spills.

The endangered Whooping Crane is one of many iconic species at risk from tar sands development. (Photo: flickr.com/Naturesfan1226)

And this doesn’t even begin to get at the Florida-sized area in Alberta being mined and leveled to extract this dirty fuel.  Habitat for iconic wildlife—like Woodland Caribou, Gray Wolves, Black Bears, and 190 migratory bird species including the endangered Whooping Crane—is being destroyed, putting these species in peril, polluting rivers, and endangering the health of indigenous communities.

The message that tar sands is a bad deal is getting through.

More and more Americans are coming around to the fact that Keystone XL, while a great deal for foreign oil companies, is bad news for the rest of us. As Elizabeth Kolbert put it in an important new article in The New Yorker:

Once Keystone is built, there will be no putting the tar back in the sands. The pipeline isn’t inevitable, and it shouldn’t be treated as such. It’s just another step on the march to disaster.

It’s past time for Pres. Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry to look at the facts.  We don’t need tar sands oil.  We don’t need more spills.  And we can’t afford to doom our children to the carbon pollution from increased tar sands expansion. People are starting to get it.  It’s time for the President to match his words on climate with deeds.  Saying no to Keystone XL is a good place to start, and the time to start is now.

Every voice counts! Tell President Obama to reject the climate-destroying Keystone XL pipeline.

Photo: Emma Cassidy/tarsandsaction

• It’s the most extreme KXL legislation the House has voted on. That’s really saying something, considering the half-dozen other terrible bills that have popped up over the last couple years. Not only would it remove the decision from the President’s hands, but it would override the authority and oversight responsibilities of the US State Department, the Department of the Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Environmental Protection Agency, which has an important role to play in the State Department review, would also be ignored.
• It relies upon outdated science. Imagine if your doctor wrote you a prescription based on your medical chart from years ago — inconceivable, right? But that’s essentially what Rep. Terry wants to do for Keystone. The State Department issued an analysis in 2011 for the first Keystone XL application, but TransCanada (the pipeline builder) revised its route and submitted an application for a new project in 2012. Despite this, H.R. 3 would use the 2011 analysis to fulfill legal requirements.
• Just in case there was any doubt about its anti-environment intentions, Rep. Terry’s bill would force all legal challenges to go through one of the country’s most conservative courts, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
• It’s essentially an earmark, which is to say a favor for a specific company (TransCanada). But it would also set a dangerous precedent for other tar sands pipelines that the industry is pushing around the U.S. — in the Great Lakes watershed, the farm belt, Gulf coast, and even New England.

Regardless of your opinion of the pipeline itself (and let’s not forget just how dangerous KXL is for wildlife and our climate) this bill is a massive overreach by Big Oil’s allies in Congress. The White House, by law, is supposed to oversee international pipelines, and while we’ve had our disagreements about how well they’ve conducted their review, at least it’s given citizens the opportunity to weigh in. In April, over a million public comments were submitted in opposition to the project — but Rep. Terry’s bill would throw those comments into the proverbial paper shredder and put a big rubber stamp on TransCanada’s application.

As Larry Schweiger, NWF’s president and CEO, put it:

This bill puts the interests of a foreign energy company ahead of more than 1 million Americans who have expressed concern for our nation’s wildlife, energy security and public health. It is a bad bill that caters to polluters, not people.

Given how anti-environmental the House of Representatives has become, we expect this bill to pass, but there are still a number of key Congressmen and women who could vote either way — and how they vote sends an important message about their conservation values. Your voice can help! Call or email your representative and tell them to vote NO on H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act.

To learn more about the threats posed to wildlife and public health by pipelines like Keystone XL, visit NWF.org/tarsands.

A pair of bald eaglets in West Newbury, MA (MA Energy & Environmental Affairs on Flickr)

Success Story

First, the good news. Massachusetts announced this week that bald eagles, once completely wiped out in the state, are now soaring to a strong comeback:

Officials from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) verified 30 active nests in the Commonwealth, including eight nests along the Connecticut River, six at the Quabbin Reservoir and four along the Merrimack River during Massachusetts’ first Bald Eagle nesting survey. The survey, coordinated by the DFG’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and involving agency staff and 35 volunteers, was conducted on April 5, 2013.

In addition to the principal bald eagle nesting territories along the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers and at Quabbin Reservoir, other active nests were observed at Wachusett Reservoir, and in the towns of Framingham, Brookfield, Pittsfield, Webster, Middleborough, Fall River and Plymouth. One nest failure was reported at Assawompsett Pond in Lakeville, where the wind blew a nest and two eggs out of the nest tree in early April. Additional eagle sightings were reported in Arlington, Carver, Lunenburg, Russell, Sandisfield and along the Housatonic River.

Bald eagles, the largest bird of prey native to Massachusetts with a body length of about 3 feet and a wingspan of up to seven feet, have increased in numbers in Massachusetts since being reintroduced to the Quabbin Reservoir between 1982 and 1988. The species was down listed from Endangered to Threatened status in Massachusetts in 2011 and removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.

To report a bald eagle sighting in Massachusetts, email the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program natural.heritage@state.ma.us.

Mercury’s Threat to Bald Eagles

Bald eagles, our national symbol & once common across North America, were pushed to the brink of extinction by the pesticide DDT, pollution from heavy metals like mercury, hunting, habitat loss, and other factors. While we stopped using DDT, banned hunting, and restored what Aldo Leopold called our land ethic, mercury pollution remains a major threat to bald eagles.

Heavy metals are emitted through the burning of fossil fuels and are washed to our waterways, then bioaccumulate in predators at the top of the food chain:

• If a small fish eats 50 mercury contaminated plants.
• And a large fish eats 100 small fish
• And an eagle eats 100 large fish.
• 50 x 100 x 100 = 250,000. The concentration of mercury in the eagle is 250,000 times larger than it was in the plankton.

It’s not uncommon for sick bald eagles to test positive for mercury poisoning.

Presenting Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, with comments from NWF’s activists.

A Fighter for Wildlife

That’s why it’s so critical for America’s wildlife that Gina McCarthy is confirmed as Environmental Protection Agency administrator as soon as possible. She has a long track record of experience limiting mercury pollution at both the state and federal levels, working for both Democrats and Republicans. Appointed by Gov. William Weld (R-MA) to be executive director of the administrative council at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, McCarthy ran the nation’s largest pollution prevention program, called the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Program.

Then working as head of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, McCarthy oversaw development of the new Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) setting emission limits for power plants in order to reduce mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution. The MATS rule will not only protect wildlife, it will deliver huge public health benefits for Americans, preventing up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks every single year.

But polluter allies in Congress are working hard to block Gina McCarthy’s confirmation. Republicans on the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee refused to even show up for a vote, delaying McCarthy’s confirmation indefinitely. “Given Gina McCarthy’s long record of non-partisan public service, it’s inexcusable for her nomination to be politicized by senators prioritizing industrial polluters over public health protection,” said Larry Schweiger, president & CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. Some of those senators did, however, make time that same morning for fundraisers with lobbyists for big polluters like BP & Exxon Mobil.

Ask your senators to protect wildlife by giving Gina McCarthy a clean vote.

fails to reflect the full environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline. We strongly encourage the State Department to reevaluate the SEIS and its assessment of the proposed pipeline’s impacts on climate change, our natural resources, our economy, and low-income and minority communities.

This is no surprise to anyone who follows this blog (I know you’re out there) and it echoes official comments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), released yesterday, that cast serious doubt on the State Department’s analysis and the future of the project. EPA concluded that State had failed to meaningfully consider multiple factors, foremost among them the climate impacts and spill risks posed by the 1,700 mile tar sands pipeline.

It’s hard to ignore 50,000 protesters in your front yard — and dozens of members of Congress were obviously paying attention (Photo: Josh Lopez/350.org)

>>>Read the full letter from Congress here

A Million Voices Against KXL

It’s not just agencies and members of Congress who think the tar sands pipeline is a bad idea. Capping off the outpouring of opposition, National Wildlife Federation and other groups just delivered over a million comments from the public, telling the Obama Administration “reject the pipeline!” NWF’s Robyn Carmichael has more — and as she puts it, the comments “came from Americans from all across the country and all walks of life, but they carried one common message: that this risky and unnecessary project puts our wildlife, water, land, and communities in jeopardy.”

Thank you to the tens of thousands of NWF members (and many others) who have spoken up for people and wildlife during this rollercoaster campaign. The public comment period for the environmental review is over, but there will be more opportunities to help so stay tuned!

Your donations make a big difference in our efforts to protect wildlife from habitat loss and the effects of global warming.

To learn more about Keystone XL and how you can help, visit NWF.org/tarsands

Blue Skies on Capitol Hill

The Senate bill, S.761, carries the same extensive support that it did last year, though it reflects a trip back to the drawing board to rework a few points of contention that ultimately blocked its enactment. Now, the bill’s low-cost, mutually beneficial qualities have attracted the approval of more than 200 organizations. The bill works in three key areas (buildings, manufacturers, and the Federal government), and outlines financing strategies with which to meet its goals. It includes a plan to plant the seeds for sustaining its vision, by establishing university-based training programs to ensure that those entering the workforce will be equipped with current and progressive skill sets.

By incentivizing the transition to more efficient manufacturing technologies—a process that itself will create jobs in the short-term—companies will see energy cost savings that they can use to grow their businesses and hire long-term employees.  On another note of mass appeal, its requirements of the Federal government to retrofit its systems and address inefficiencies in its buildings and vehicle fleets, this legislation would ultimately save tax dollars from leaking through the cracks of outdated infrastructure.

Both Senators credit economics for their bill’s bipartisan popularity.  Senator Shaheen states simply that: “The cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use.  That’s why energy efficiency is something we can all support.” Introducing this bill urges their colleagues to act on the obvious in a Congressional climate that offers few opportunities for doing so, as was the central message of Senator Portman’s press release yesterday:

“We don’t often get legislation that brings Republicans, Democrats, business, labor and environmental leaders together, but with this bill we have. Energy efficiency is the fastest, most cost-efficient way to tackle our energy needs and keep our economy competitive all while creating needed and sustainable jobs.  Passing this bill would be a clear and quick win for the economy, taxpayers and the environment.”

If enacted, the ESIC Act has the potential to do more than grasp the low-hanging fruit of energy policy.  Rather, it strengthens a critical and politically useful argument that investing in energy-saving technologies pays for itself.  It reduces emissions that are polluting our water and our air and endangering wildlife.  And it gives us all something to shake hands on. Every step forward makes our leap of comprehensive climate policy more attainable.  The National Wildlife Federation applauds two Senators willing to orchestrate one of those steps.  May it inspire many more.

Tweet your Support! Congrats to @robportman and @SenatorShaheen for introducing a bill to create jobs and improve America’s energy efficiency!

I sat a few rows behind her, beaming with Massachusetts pride.  Before moving to DC a couple of months ago, I had only ever resided in my home state, and as I frequently tell people: “Massachusetts is not an easy place to leave.”  I grew up on the beach and went to school in the mountains.  I enjoyed four seasons, lively sports, and model politics.  As did Ms. McCarthy, I appreciated the acclaimed public university system that our state has to offer.  Today, as I watched MA Senators Warren and Cowan introduce President Obama’s widely supported nominee, I enjoyed that unique inspiration that can only come from the renowned accomplishments of someone who shares your roots.

Gina McCarthy, nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency

Repeatedly commended for her pragmatism and common sense, McCarthy carries a set of qualities that appeal to everyone who sits across from her.  She reiterated her intentions, which have evidently guided her through much of her career: to act with integrity to the law and to science, and to keep an open door for all who are ready to work with her.  Upon the hearing’s question and answer segment, Ms. McCarthy proceeded to please those who supported her.  She addressed patiently and thoroughly any points of skepticism.

When it comes to the tasks our next EPA Administrator will face, Gina McCarthy is clearly a woman who gets it—all of it.  She speaks comprehensively of the overlapping needs to create jobs, protect people from environmental health threats, and respond to the overwhelming science of climate change.

McCarthy states with commanding simplicity that environmental protection is not a partisan issue, and her track record represents her confidence in partnering with officials on both sides of the aisle.   Her regulatory background reflects that she does not regard clean air and clean water as matters to compromise on.  She calls for accountability and expects others to require the same of her.  The severity of climate change demands that everyone accepts responsibility for their piece of the solution, and in Gina McCarthy we have an example.

Overall, Gina McCarthy’s hearing was just the event most had anticipated.  But as I walked off the Hill today, I noticed an extra skip in my step—and it came from more than the view of the Capitol, the 80 degree weather, or the shower of fluttering cherry blossom petals that surrounded me.  My skip was one of invigorated optimism, both for the future of environmental policy and in the leadership that will bring it to fruition.  I felt a motivating connectedness to a something that really worked.  During Senator Warren’s introduction, she called Gina McCarthy a “talented and hard-working daughter of Massachusetts.”  She and Senator Cowan spoke of President Obama’s nominee with more than approval.  They spoke of her with pride.  In camaraderie, I hurried back to my desk to do the same.

A dozen bobcat subspecies range across North America. Photo Contest entry by Lori Tambakis.

Moreover, it recognizes the bipartisan legacy of the conservation movement.  As the plan says:

“This is a shared goal that many American leaders, including prominent Republicans, have consistently supported in order to protect the environment.  From President Theodore Roosevelt, who established national parks, forests and wildlife refuges, to President Nixon who created the EPA, to the bipartisan passage of laws to keep our air and water clean, leaders on both sides of the aisle have repeatedly come together to make our land and water healthier for their generation and generations to come.”

Specifically, the Senate budget plan:

• Invests in our clean energy future by recognizing the value of federal clean air regulation to public health, calling climate change “one of the largest threats to the health of the planet, and therefore the well-being of our families,” investing heavily in research and development of clean energy sources, and funding programs to make homes and offices more energy efficient. It also prepares for climate impacts by funding activities to aid in storm tracking and weather prediction and investing in disaster resiliency across the country.
• Recognizes the importance of public lands to our robust outdoor recreation economy and conservation legacy by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, enabling the reauthorization of the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, increasing funding for wildfire management and watershed recovery programs, and ensuring continued access to all our national parks.  It also invests in agriculture conservation programs and urges the passage of a Five Year Farm Bill, two measures key to preserving open spaces, and ensures appropriate funding for tribal land management.
• Ensures the continued safeguarding of our water resources by strongly funding large ecosystem restoration in the Great Lakes, the Everglades, the Upper Mississippi River, the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Louisiana, the San Francisco Bay Delta, the Puget Sound, and elsewhere, recognizing the value of federal clean water regulation, and promising to update our declining water infrastructure.

It also replaces sequestration, the series of across the board spending cuts that went into effect on March 1.  Replacing the sequester is a crucial step towards ensuring vital conservation programs are funded at adequate levels. In addition, as seen in the chart below, although both the Senate and House budgets cut non-defense discretionary spending below Congressional Budget Office projections—and both keep NDD spending fairly flat over the next ten years—the Senate budget begins with about $100 billion more for NDD funding.

Source: CBO, Senate Budget Committee, House Budget Committee

The Senate Democrats’ budget isn’t perfect, yet it takes huge strides toward making conservation, protecting wildlife, and stopping carbon pollution key federal priorities. This is a promising plan, and we hope that Sen. Murray and the Senate Budget Committee continue to prioritize conservation as they shape budget legislation for fiscal year 2014.

Call your Senator today to make sure they protect wildlife in our federal budget.

How could you not want to protect this?

The Wildlife Grant program was created by Congress in 2000 thanks to strong support from the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition. The Wildlife Action Plans that states write to qualify for this funding have already identified over 10,000 species that are at-risk, their key threats, and the conservation needed to ensure their continued survival. In the old conservation adage, the goal of these plans is to keep common species common. As a bonus, NWF is also working to ensure these plans are “Climate Smart” by incorporating climate adaptation into new and existing plans. Funding for the SWG program is thus vital for current and future conservation.

Horseshoe crabs are important parts of the local fishing industry and medical research. They also simply look cool.

Conservation Funding in Action

The great thing about the State Wildlife Grant program is that it already has a proven track record. When people think of my home state of Connecticut, they often see just another suburb of New York. Even here, however, a variety of species — from the prehistoric horseshoe crab to the adorable (yet imperiled) New England Cottontail rabbit — have benefited from the research and conservationSWG funding has provided.

In my adopted home of Maine, where I studied at the University of New England, grant funding was used to survey and protect important waterways and terrestrial habitats vital for the survival of moose and a variety of rare species. Although Maine touts itself as “The Way Life Should Be,” the state has faced challenges in protecting its wildlife in the past. In the late 1970s, the region almost lost its population of Bald Eagles, the symbol of America. Thanks in part to active conservation funded by the Wildlife Grant program, the population increased ten-fold to over 300 nesting pairs in recent years.

We should keep these guys around, if only to avoid having to pick a new national bird…

NWF photo – rescued turtle covered in tar sands oil from the Kalamazoo River

The large problem for Enbridge is that they can’t hide from the real-life facts. Enbridge has the best (and worst) “study” right here in the Kalamazoo River, where they spilled around a million gallons of tar sands crude into Michigan waters. This spill has proven the exact opposite: tar sands oil sinks in fresh water! 

This is not a little white lie: the fact that tar sands oil sinks in water is one of the biggest problems facing the industry and pipeline operators, proving that any spill of any kind into water is devastating, toxic and impossible to clean-up. The hundreds of acres of submerged oil in the Kalamazoo River — that Enbridge can’t clean up — is case and point!

Steep Learning Curve for Tar Sands Spills

Michigan journalist Fritz Klug wrote about this very point almost two years ago:

“At minimum, we’re writing a chapter in the oil spill cleanup book on how to identify submerged oil,” [EPA incident commander Ralph] Dollhopf said. “We’re writing chapters on how it behaves once it does spill (and) how to recover it.”

What the EPA didn’t expect at the beginning of the spill last July was how much time they would spend extracting the heavier oil submerged in the bottom of the Kalamazoo River.

“In a situation where we don’t have to be concerned with submerged oil, then we clean up the oil on the surface and be done,” Dollhopf said.

This past fall, the EPA issued Enbridge another work order to address the hundreds of acres of submerged oil, but Enbridge is dismissing that order because they have no idea how to remove the oil from the bottom of the river without causing extreme habitat destruction.

When a tar sands pipeline spill occurs, all readily available equipment used to clean-up oil will only address oil floating on the surface of water. So, for any pipeline operator to say they know how to properly clean up tar sands crude — this is a flat out lie.

Again, this point is extremely important considering the flood of tar sands pipeline projects hitting the U.S.

Enbridge tries to control the migration of submerged oil at Marrow Lake, along the Kalamazoo River. EPA photo

Lawmakers in the Dark

Taking this a step further, the lack of acknowledgment by our decision makers and congressional members is a little shocking. Our leaders should be demanding that regulators and pipeline operators make immediate changes to spill response plans to address this very issue, and no tar sands pipelines should be expanded or constructed until issues like this are fully addressed. This should have been an outcry immediately following Enbridge’s spill — especially considering tar sands crude is already running through many pipelines that travel in and around the Great Lakes, which are the freshwater drinking source for millions or people and habitat for countless wildlife. 

In fact, many members of Congress are ignoring the facts and trying to streamline massive tar sands pipeline projects, like Keystone XL, which will expose millions to the risk of spills and drive development in Canada’s tar sands region, one of the biggest threats to our global climate.

We are allowing Enbridge to cover up the facts with propaganda, which will continue to allow the industry to expand plans for transporting tar sands oil through some of the most sensitive areas in the world.

Contact your lawmakers and tell them you are sick of industry distorting the facts, which continues to put our communities, resources and wildlife at risk.