As requested during todays meeting, heres a draft of a personal note you could adapt and/or send to friends who are snowbirds or seasonal residents. Please encourage them to write letters supporting our requests for an extended comment period and a full environmental review. The deadline is April 4, 2014. Melodee Monicken _____________ Dear Friends of the Headwaters, a group of people from across Hubbard County, was organized out of concerns about Enbridge, a Canadian corporation, and its plans to build a 30 inch pipeline through the Mississippi Headwaters and Hubbard County. Friends of the Headwaters contends that citizens have a right to know what their government is doing. They believe that good government depends on informed and engaged citizens. Many seasonal residents do not return until May and have little knowledge of this pipeline. Because hearings and deliberations about this pipeline have happened while many seasonal residents are away from their homes in Hubbard County, we are requesting that the Public Utilities Commission extend the comment period through the end of July. We are also requesting a full Environmental Impact Statement, instead of the PUCs perfunctory comparative environmental analysis. That document is usually the result of collaboration between the PUC and Enbridge. We believe the Straight River aquifer and the Headwaters rivers, lakes and wetlands are a valuable and vulnerable resource, worthy of a full Environmental Impact Statement. We hope that you will write to the Public Utilities Commission before the deadline of April 4, 2014. To support our request to extend the comment period and our request for full Environmental Impact Statement, please write to Larry Hartman Environmental Review Manager Energy Environmental Review and Analysis (EERA) Minnesota Department of Commerce 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 St. Paul MN 55101 Email: [email protected] Fax: 651-539-0109 Online: mn.gov/commerce/energyfacilities/#comment Please include the PUC Docket Number (13-474) in all communications. We have enclosed some items below that might be helpful to you in informing yourself about our concerns and Hubbard Countys particular jeopardy. Thank you for your help with this effort. Sincerely, ********************** ABOUT ENBRIDGES SANDPIPER PIPELINE-- 1. A Probable End Run Around Keystone: With the latest news from Enbridge , theres even more likelihood that Minnesota is dealing with an end run around around Keystone, particularly on the preferred southern route in western Hubbard County. usatoday/story/news/nation/2014/03/06/enbridge-pipeline-doubles-capacity/6127773/ Unlike the Keystone XL pipeline or its predecessor Line 67 (also known by its more jovial name “Alberta Clipper“), this project is classified as “replacement” or “maintenance,” meaning it operates under an existing presidential permit and does not require a new one. Enbridge proponents made a point of repeatedly affirming this during Tuesday’s call with investors and media.. ecowatch/2014/03/04/enbridge-double-capacity-line-3-tar-sands-pipeline/ This is something that some Friends of the Headwaters have suspected for a long while but wanted to hope was an impossible scenario, especially in an area with so many vulnerable lakes, wetlands, and rivers. Some examination of that possibility appeared in the Pulitzer Prize winning Inside Climate News last summer: insideclimatenews.org/news/20130603/map-another-major-tar-sands-pipeline-seeking-us-permit 2. A Route Through Some of the Cleanest Lakes in MN:The Enbridge route is detailed on this map of Minnesota Lakes. It crosses the Mississippi River Headwaters near Itasca State Park. On the map below, the cleanest and clearest lakes in Minnesota are the darkest blue. As is evident in the map, Hubbard County, in the area south of the Mississippi Headwaters, has some of the clearest and cleanest lakes in Minnesota. 3. A Route that Jeopardizes an Already-Compromised Aquifer: On this map, the red line is Enbridges proposed pipeline route through the Straight River watershed. This map also identifies several stream and river crossings with pink arrows. The already compromised Straight River aquifer is shallow, in sandy, porous soils where local farmers grow potatoes for RDO, the areas largest employer. 4. A Route that Could Jeopardize the Fishhook Chain of Lakes: If Enbridge had a spill in the Fishhook River Watershed or in one of the creek crossings near the lakes north of Park Rapids, that spill could affect Island, Eagle, Potato, and Fishhook lakes. Enbridge spills or leaks average about 380,000, gallons of oil each year. 5. A Recent Enbridge Spill: In their advertising, Enbridge claims a stellar safety record. However, Enbridges 2010 Kalamazoo spill in Michigan was at least 800,000 gallons, and it spread 30 miles. Minnesotas Hay Creek is less than 10 miles from the Fishhook River and the community of Park Rapids. insideclimatenews.org/news/20120626/dilbit-diluted-bitumen-enbridge-kalamazoo-river-marshall-michigan-oil-spill-6b-pipeline-epa Our group has watched what happened in Kalamazoo, a community that crossed its fingers and hoped for the best from an Enbridge pipeline. According to Inside Climate News, Kalamazoo is still trying to get Enbridge to clean up this 2010 spill. insideclimatenews.org/news/20131202/enbridge-could-be-forced-boost-pipeline-safety-mich-after-water-violations And Enbridge hasnt been particularly cooperative or forthcoming. grangehallpress/Enbridgeblog/2014/02/23/they-just-havent-been-very-forthcoming-with-us/ 6.The Possibility of Pipeline Failure: Pipelines fail. Over the course of their 25-30 year life spans, most pipelines have some spill or leak incidents, and some of those incidents have terrible consequences for our land and water. This is an EPA study about pipelines on Bristol Bay, heavy on the science and bewildering to the layperson. epa.gov/ncea/pdfs/bristolbay/bristol_bay_assessment_final_2014_vol1_chapter11.pdf: Even those of us who dont have a science degree can understand the EPAs summary of the Environmental Impact Statement: In each of the three scenarios, there would be a greater than 99.9% chance that at least one of the three pipelines carrying liquid would fail during the project lifetime. A retired MPCA tech advisor, now working with Friends of the Headwaters, described the EPAs EIS cited above, in this way: Suffice it to say the EIS concluded that these pipelines are virtually guaranteed to leak or rupture multiple times over a thirty year life time and most of these will be used longer than that. We just dont know when or where or how much, it is like Russian roulette with all the chambers loaded, we just dont know which way the gun will be pointed when it goes off. For the visual learners, heres a good graphic: nytimes/interactive/2011/09/09/business/energy-environment/pipeline-spills.html?_r=1& and heres a quick video that demonstrates the number of pipeline incidents since 1986. youtube/watch?v=3rxqUXqPzog 7. Oil Shale Depletion Rates: The so-called need for this pipeline is primarily based on oil industry projections for Bakken oil shale. There are important questions about the industrys speculative and probably inflated projections for Bakken oil shale. oil-price.net/en/articles/shale-high-depletion-rates-in-bakken.php 8. U.S. Self-Sufficiency: We know people who think these pipelines are just about the US providing oil for Americas energy self-sufficiency, but Enbridge will NOT reveal WHERE this oil is going. Thats proprietary information, a closely guarded secret, similar to the names of the carcinogens in the industrys volatile fracking fluids. Currently, the industry is finding people in the media who will encourage the US to export oil: washingtonpost/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/08/u-s-oil-exports-have-been-banned-for-40-years-is-it-time-for-that-to-change/ 9. Economic Development: Were also hearing about how piping oil shale is important for Americas economic development. However, some investment advisors, like this one, from Business Insider, arent so sure: businessinsider/grantham-against-shale-2014-2 10. Tar Sands: Enbridge is NOT dismissing the possibility of eventually shipping tar sands in the Sandpiper pipeline. Tar sand and dilbit are not something we want in a pipeline near any of Minnesotas lakes, rivers, and streams. m.theglobeandmail/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/us-study-renews-focus-on-risks-of-shipping-from-alberta-oil-sands/article16506043/?service=mobile&post_id=1387244201_10201399122085145#_= 11. Miscellaneous Facts about This Pipeline: There are many myths floating around about this pipeline, and some landowners who are concerned about the pipelines route through their property are baffled, disengaged, or misinformed. More information here from Jeff Mosner. 12. Friends of the Headwaters Contact Information: E-MAIL: mnfriendsoftheheadwaters@gmail WEBSITE: friendsoftheheadwaters.org ADDRESS for Donations: Friends of the Headwaters, P.O. Box 583, Park Rapids, MN 56470 FACEBOOK: https://facebook/savemississippiheadwaters. Currently, Hubbard County is a place where we see trumpeter swans. We dont want to see swans covered in oil!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 23:41:15 +0000
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