Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, May 04, 2012

TransCanada reapplies for Keystone XL permit

TransCanada Corp. has applied for a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The original pipeline route, which aims to double the amount of Canadian oil that can be transported from Hardisty, Alta., to the U.S. Gulf Coast, was rejected by U.S. legislators in 2011.

The new application announced Friday includes the already reviewed route in Montana and South Dakota, but a section leading to Steele City, Neb., that goes through the Sand Hills region is still in question.

In its application Friday, TransCanada said a route for the contentious Nebraska section will be submitted as part of the application once a new route is finalized.

The company is already pushing ahead with construction on the section leading from the oil hub of Cushing, Okla., to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, because those sections do not require presidential approval.

But the section north of Steele City, Neb., has long been the most controversial section because of the sensitive ecosystem of the Sand Hills region and because the original pipeline route would have passed directly over the Ogallala Acquifer that supplies drinking water to eight U.S. states.

The U.S. State Department has authority over the pipeline as a whole because it crosses the Canada/U.S. border.

America currently consumes about 15 million barrels of oil a day, of which up to nine million barrels come from Canada. The Keystone pipeline would see that ratio increase significantly.

The massive project has been a lightning rod of controversy for the project's critics, who worry it is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.

"The multibillion dollar Keystone XL pipeline project will reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil and support job growth by putting thousands of Americans to work," TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a release Friday.

Original Article
Source: CBC
Author: CBC News 

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