skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Concerns Over Western SD Oil Pipeline

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 20, 2010   

ABERDEEN, S.D. - The U.S. State Department has extended the public comment period to June 16 regarding the environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL oil pipeline that Trans Canada is planning to build across western South Dakota. The pipeline would transport oil from Canadian tar sands to refineries along the Gulf Coast.

Pete Carrels, regional representative for the South Dakota Sierra Club, opposes the project, saying the production of that oil would be akin to strip mining, and would threaten damage to a fragile ecosystem.

"We're talking about stripping one of the most-productive, ecologically important boreal forest areas left on Earth. It's also seen as one of the most-important remaining carbon sinks, from a natural standpoint. Fresh water is being utilized by the billions of gallons to produce the tar sands oil."

The Club also opposes the pipeline because of the additives needed to move it through the pipeline, says Carrels.

"There are some very dangerous chemicals that must be used to move it through these pipelines. So, if you get a leak or spill with a tar sands pipeline, you have not only to deal with the tar sands oil, but you have to deal with the dilutents and the chemicals that are accompanying that oil in the pipeline."

Continuing to build pipelines like Keystone XL will only extend our dependence on fossil fuels, he adds.

"And at some point, we're going to have to draw a line in the sand, and start moving seriously away from dangerous fossil fuels, to cleaner, renewable sources."

Supporters say the pipeline is needed to maintain the U.S. oil supply and decrease dependence from Middle Eastern countries. Trans Canada says they would like to have the pipeline in operation by 2012.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021