Critics -- including Ojibwe activists, residents along the proposed route and environmental groups -- say Sandpiper would put northern Minnesota waterways at risk of a potentially catastrophic oil spill, with no real value to Minnesotans. Most, if not all, of the oil will go to other states, opponents said, at a time when the U.S. seems awash in cheap oil and gas. The risk factors far outweigh the benefits, said Michael Dahl, a White Earth Ojibwe activist. Others contend that pumping more oil will only increase the nations dependence on fossil fuels at a time when the U.S. should be moving to renewable resources to reduce the greenhouse gases scientists say are causing global warming. One step for getting out of a hole is to stop digging. We need this carbon to stay in the ground, said Amy Wilson of Port Wing. Other opponents said the methane released when North Dakota oil is fracked makes the greenhouse gas footprint of the Bakken even greater. Members of several opposition groups held a rally Tuesday in downtown Duluth before the hearing.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:14:20 +0000
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