Category Archives: big coal

Eye Candy, but not for long if XL Pipeline goes in… **edited

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This week’s pics of beautiful Canada.  So gorgeous.  I wonder if #17 is a rock formation by the First Nations ancestors?  Perhaps a marker to show the way?

I look at this in awe of it….and then the horrible pictures of the destruction of the land by the oil and gas companies…and my heart sinks.

Thanks to those of you who signed the petition against XL pipeline.  Blessings to all of you for speaking out and making your voice heard.

I think I might have featured this video before, but definitely bears repeating:

It’s disturbing in the first few minutes a woman stands there and says “keep this stuff in Indiana, where it belongs….”

Excuse me?  It belongs in my state…because…?  The attitude is that we deserve it.  WTH?  We don’t want it here any more than you do.  Stop making Indiana the freaking garbage can for the Koch brothers!

…and Rahm Emanuel allows up to 2 years for the Kochs to comply to an order to enclose the petcoke.  What a joke.

Here’s the MSDS data sheet on petcoke. Note how BP gets out of updating the MSDS by a hole in the law that allows them to get out of updating it every three years.

Just look at the handling of this stuff, and one can see how toxic it is:

Handling

Contact with hot product may cause burns. Avoid contact with eyes. Avoid breathing dust.

Use only with adequate ventilation.

Avoid the creation of dust when handling and avoid all possible

sources of ignition (spark or flame).

To avoid fire or explosion, dissipate static electricity during

transfer by grounding and bonding containers and equipment before transferring material.

Use explosion-proof electrical (ventilating, lighting and material handling) equipment.

Wash thoroughly after handling.

When using do not eat, drink or smoke.

Regular periodic self inspection of the skin is recommended, especially those areas subject to contamination.

In the event of any localized changes in appearance or texture of the skin being noticed, medical advice should be sought without delay.

Storage

Keep container tightly closed. Keep container in a cool, well-ventilated area.

Empty containers may contain harmful, flammable/combustible or explosive residue or vapors.

Do not cut, grind, drill, weld, reuse or dispose of containers unless adequate precautions are taken against these hazards.

Not suitable

Prolonged exposure to elevated temperature

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It goes on to say the air purifying respirators are limited in their ability to protect one from this toxic stuff.  It also recommends gloves that cannot be penetrated by chemicals or oil. Heavy-duty.

Lastly, we have this bit:

Overexposure to dust may cause mechanical irritation.

Repeated or prolonged inhalation of dust may lead to chronic respiratory irritation.

Repeated and prolonged inhalation of any respirable dust may result in changes in lung function.

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They always want long term studies to evaluate toxins…but do we really have to poison people long term when something is obviously this toxic?

Here’s a good piece on petcoke.  They’ve been burning it in Nova Scotia.  Burning it releases mercury, lead, and arsenic…just like coal.  But it is said to be more toxic.

“The carbon intensity of petcoke is higher than the carbon intensity of most conventional coal so when you burn petcoke, you’re likely going to release more toxic emissions than you will when you burn traditional coal so it has a higher carbon dioxide content, it also has a higher sulphur content and by contrast, the carbon intensity of natural gas is about a third that of coal. And this is when we’re talking about fossil fuels, we’re choosing the best of evils,” said Abreu, adding that they would prefer to see an electrical system that relies on a diverse mix of renewable fuels.

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This stuff needs to stay in the ground. Absolutely.

**edited:  to take out the part of the scientist.  He was saying the same thing I was saying…can you tell that this upsets me? Oy.

Back

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Okay, back from a bout of the flu.  Gah, it’s been at least six years and probably ten years since I’ve had the flu.  Seriously. The last time I felt this bad, I had it in the lungs (probably walking pneumonia) and it was one of the times I woke up gasping for breath.

Mercury interferes with your immune system so much that even though we know we are exposed to viruses, we don’t “get sick”.

The theory is that the virus is there, but the immune system cannot muster the usual attack response that shows up as vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, fever, headache.  I think it’s another wonderful testament that my immune system is healing and starting to respond to viruses.  I don’t know if this particular virus was dormant…but I’m kind of leaning that way because it usually takes three days to incubate before symptoms show up…at least that was how it was with my kids and I when they were young.  With this flu, I was only in the public the day before, which would have been the best time to be exposed.  My sis could have brought the virus home, I suppose, but nobody else got sick.

Anyway, I’m actually happy that I had the flu….and I lived to tell about it!  I should alert the CDC.  /just a little snarky

I think the fact that I had a quick recovery is testament to eating good organic non-gluten food….the best medicine, along with proper herbs (dandelion and rose hips tea).

 

Removing the Dust

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Warrior Publications has this up from John Kane on relearning what our ancestors knew…

Some folks are so far removed from nature that they don’t have even the very basic knowledge of…living.  Living in harmony, that is…

We’ve been fed this false belief that technology is superior to nature…when nothing trumps nature.  Just look at the powerful force of nature during any storm…and how technology takes a hit every time.

Technology has put up a wall between us and nature.  We lose that connection.  We lose the talent of our senses without engaging them daily. (Think of folks walking into water fountains or walking into traffic while talking on cell phones.)

…and when we lose that connection, we lose the ability to value nature–to understand nature.  And as the post says–we lose the ability to know our place within nature and our time here.

Being poor helps with that–washing clothes by scrubbing them on a washboard gave me a sense of accomplishment–I knew that I could do a decent job of it; learning how to manage on so little helps one really learn how to prioritize on what is important–you learn what is fluff and what is substance;  and the biggest re-connect with nature is your own sense of self-worth and pride in that you made it.  You survived.  And nature is better for it because the balance of give-and-take is restored.  You no longer take and take, but realize you must give, too.  Not easy…but ohhh so worth it, in the end.  You gain something so much more valuable.

 

 

Keystone Pipeline Exposed **updated

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PRESS RELEASE: Tuesday, February 25, 2014
CONTACT: Nick Surgey, nick@prwatch.org, (608) 260-9713

KEYSTONE PIPELINES EXPOSED: NEW FILM REFUTES JOBS, SECURITY, GAS PRICE, TAX, SAFETY, AND CLIMATE CLAIMS

MADISON — Today, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new short film and launched a series of major investigative reports debunking key claims of proponents of the Keystone XL Pipeline, as the State Department solicits comments from the public on its controversial environmental impact assessment.

Over the past seven months, CMD has interviewed experts and activists in Port Arthur, Texas; Detroit; and Washington, DC; and examined detailed tax, safety, economic, environmental, and campaign finance studies in assessing the claims made by proponents of the pipeline, which would carry more than 3/4 million barrels of tar sands oil a day from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries.

“We made this film and investigated the public relations campaign for the Keystone XL pipeline because the fake ‘facts’ about jobs and energy security peddled by industry-funded politicians and uncritical pundits has left too many Americans deeply misinformed,” said Lisa Graves, the Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy. CMD is the publisher of the award-winning “ALEC Exposed” investigative reporting project about the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The film, “Keystone PipeLIES Exposed,” highlights little known facts about the KXL pipeline project such as the corporate exemption for tar sands oil from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and the limits on taxes due for foreign oil imported to foreign trade zones like Port Arthur. The film also includes footage from major tar sands oil spills in the U.S. and Canada that were only briefly in the headlines despite the enormous damages they caused. A short excerpt of the film is available at: https://vimeo.com/87520545

CMD’s short film documents that, despite the claims of politicians and others backing KXL:

—  KXL will not directly create 100,000+ jobs but 3,900 short-term and 50 long-term ones.

— KXL will not produce billions in corporate tax revenues, due to tax loopholes most Americans have never heard of.

— KXL will not be safe from disastrous leaks, but it will be exempt from corporations paying into a key disaster insurance fund because it is “unconventional oil,” which puts taxpayers on the hook for billions.

— KXL will not make America energy independent; and, in fact, most of the tar sands oil is planned for export from the Gulf of Mexico via tankers to foreign countries.

— KXL will not be climate neutral — in spite of that suggestion made in an assessment prepared by an industry-linked group — but it will speed climate change and global instability.

Dave Saldana, the Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer of the film, commented: “The Keystone XL pipeline is a phenomenally bad idea. I looked at the claims as a lawyer; what did the evidence show me? The evidence shows that its job creation claims are grossly inflated; that better, greener alternatives would aid America’s energy independence and put more Americans to work for a longer time than the pipeline; and that the pumping of tar sands oil across the U.S. primarily for export to foreign countries poses enormous risks to America’s water supply, food supply, and air quality. And that’s before you even get to what it does to climate change.”

CMD’s film and related documentation are being released in advance of the March 7 deadline the State Department has set for public comments on the government’s recently released environmental impact assessment, which critics believe signals that the State Department is poised to give a green light to the pipeline’s expansion across the U.S.-Canadian border and to the Texas shores. On March 2, activists are preparing for KXL protests across the nation.

NEW RESOURCES FOR THE PRESS AND PUBLIC ON KXL

The production package for “Keystone PipeLIES Exposed” includes a 22-minute film, a fact sheet debunking the main myths about the KXL, seven 3-minute short videos for easy sharing, and other materials about the the experts cited in the film, which you can find at our new website http://www.pipeLIESexposed.org. Follow the conversation at #pipelies.

In addition, five in-depth investigative pieces will be published — each day this week — at CMD’s original reporting site, http://www.prwatch.org. Follow us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/CenterforMediaandDemocracy and Twitter https://twitter.com/PRWatch

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**UPDATED:  Please sign the petition against XL here.

Eye Candy

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This week’s pics of beautiful Canada.  I was thinking about Neil Young’s song and the video of the Earth before the energy companies move in, and how much is lost that cannot be regained after they’re done stripping the land…

We are all connected

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WordPress had a general country count of visitors for the blog.  I have to say that I was tickled the first time I saw someone from another country visit the blog.

But I was blown away by a visitor from…Russia.

First, I want to say “Hello!” and welcome.

Second, I want to say don’t believe what they say about all Americans.   For the most part, we are probably a lot like you–we want to take care of our families, keep food on the table, be healthy,  and have a purpose in life.  We’re all connected and more alike than not.

Most of us want peace and are sick of wars.

We’re also very concerned about the environment.

The XL pipeline is a terrible venture, as is the Enbridge pipeline going in my state of Indiana.  We’re also home to BP petcoke refining operation in Whiting, Indiana, a very toxic venture, as well.

I think Indiana has been as close to living in Russia as it ever has for this winter has been really rough.  We’re thinking of adopting the penguin as the new state bird (a little Hoosier humor sent on the dreaded f_cebook.)  Ha.

So…have a look around and comment if you like–would love to hear from you.

You’ll have to translate it, though, the only Russian word I know is “nyet”.  Ha.

 

Video segments of Kochs Exposed

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Here are snippets of the documentary on the grip the Kochs have on policy.  It’s truly heartening what happened in Wake County, a southern area, and how they were not willing to go backward.

Also, this documentary leaves out the Gates Foundation and Eli Broad and the Walton family’s influence on destroying public education…just wanted to note that important piece of this pie.

 

 

Kochs Exposed: one of the most important films…

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…you will ever see is here.

It is just mindboggling how the Koch brothers have their tentacles in every aspect of society: union busting, voting rights, livable wages, social security, corporate taxes, healthcare, etc….

Not only that, but equally troubling is how easily Congress and politicians can be bought.

They are more than willing to endorse the racist ideas of the Kochs by a stealth way of re-segregating schools, interfering with one’s right to vote, and dumping toxins in poor and black neighborhoods.  The only thing missing from this documentary is how BP is right there with Koch and will most likely accept the petcoke byproduct of tar sands at the Whiting, Indiana refineries.  Indiana always seems to get lost in the concerns of pollution.

Another troubling aspect of this documentary is how Ed Shultz is featured as being against the Kochs, but he is for XL pipeline….which the Kochs are behind!  One can only wonder how much the Kochs have paid to MSNBC or to Shultz (which I would find it hard to believe, but Kochs seem to go on the belief that everyone has a price…and they only need to find out what that price tag is…)  since Ed has changed his tune, and the Kochs are known for greasing palms to buy people’s silence or worse, it’s not without merit to question if they have paid somebody off to get Ed to promote the pipeline.

I’m glad, however, to say that some of us care about the environment and our health and our children’s health and are resistant to this dirty money…

 

Worth going to jail…

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This week’s eye candy from Canada.

#2 is breathtaking.  Can you imagine this being gone due to fracking or polluted with bitumen from a leak in tar sands pipeline, a la Kalamazoo?

Another beautiful rainbow on #3.

#9 talk about spoiling an otherwise gorgeous picture…same with #11.

Otherwise, great pics…