Keystone XL Public Hearing -Pierre SD 29SEP11

When I first arrived early at the Ramkota Hotel in Pierre SD for this important public hearing on the Keystone XL Pipeline I will admit, I was extremely intimidated. There was a HUGE line of middle aged men with a just few ladies and younger people sprinkled in all donning bright shirts sharing their approval of the pipelines construction.
I did not recognize a single soul, wondering where all these people came from I took a look through the parking lot and noticed bus after bus lined up, these people where not from the area, not even from the state, they where trucked in.

After waiting inline to register –standing alone, I noticed a couple men walk past with stickers of hope—stickers that said “Oil or Water?” and “Keystone XL” with a circle and slash through it.  I forfeited my place in line to join them in relief of not being alone, and soon many more wonderful beings arrived many of which donning mellow blue shirts stating “No Tar sands Oil”-I was no longer alone, WE where no longer alone!

Upon entering the Hotel doors I had my bag removed and searched, the men who where with me had to take their brief cases back to their cars because “Only ladies purses are aloud to pass.” I approached the speaker registration table in apprehension, wanting to believe that all these blue shirted guardians would make all the points needed so I would not have to speak in front of all these people! But, I decided to register, just incase, after all I could always shrink down in my chair when my name was called.

After hours of testimonials presented I came to the conclusion that many of the people there where vastly misinformed on what exactly the Keystone XL Pipeline was intending to do.  Speaker after Speaker stood up to state that they needed those jobs NOW, and that they needed that CHEAP OIL NOW! Seemingly completely blind sighted to the facts that companies are companies and profits are always on the mind.  I decided I had no choice but to speak my mind.

The following was my speech:
My name is Trista Olsen; I am here today not only as a Mellette county ranch and business owner but as a mother of 3.

I have been sitting here today hearing a lot of assumptions but not many facts, so I would to take the time to present the facts to you today.

Keystone XL will not decrease gas prices, but will actually INCREASE gas prices for Americans –Especially small farming families in the mid-west like mine, by draining Midwestern refineries of cheap Canadian crude into the export-oriented refineries in the Gulf Coast via the Keystone XL pipeline.

TransCanada’s 2008 Permit Application states:

“Existing markets for Canadian heavy crude, principally PADD II [U.S. Midwest], are currently oversupplied, resulting in price discounting for Canadian heavy crude oil. Access to the USGC [U.S. Gulf Coast] via the Keystone XL Pipeline is expected to strengthen Canadian crude oil pricing in [the Midwest] by removing this oversupply. This is expected to increase the price of heavy crude to the equivalent cost of imported crude. The resulting increase in the price of heavy crude is estimated to provide an increase in annual revenue to the Canadian producing industry in 2013 of previous US $2 billion to a US $3.9 billion.”

Independent analysis of these figures found this would increase per gallon prices by 20/cents per gallon in the Midwest. According to another independent analysis of this statement U.S Midwest farmers, who spent $12.4 billion on fuel in 2009 could see expenses rise to $15 billion or higher in 2013 if the pipeline goes through. That would mean that at least $500 million of the added expenses in farm fuel would come direct from the Canadian Market Manipulation.

TransCanada’s job projections are vastly inflated! In 2008, TransCanada’s Presidential Permit application for the Keystone XL to the State Departments indicated

“a PEAK workforce of approximately 3,500 to 4,000 construction personnel”

to build the pipeline for a 3 year construction span. The high job estimates tossing around here today come from a 2001 report COMMISSIONED by TransCanada that estimated 20,000 “PERSON-YEARS” of employment based on a non-public forecast model using undisclosed inputs PROVIDED by TransCanda. According to TransCanda’s OWN data, ONLY 11% of the construction jobs on the Keystone I pipeline in South Dakota were filled by South Dakotans- most of them for temporary, low-paying manual labor.

Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) BOTH OPPOSE the pipeline, their August 2011 statement:

“We need jobs, but not ones based on increasing our reliance on Tar Sands Oil. There is no shortage of water and sewage pipelines that need to be fixed or replaced, bridges and tunnels that are in need of emergency repair, transportation infrastructure that needs to be renewed and developed. Many jobs could also be created in energy conservation, upgrading the grid, maintaining and expanding public transportation.”

 A rupture in the Keystone Xl pipeline could cause a BP style oil spill in America’s heartland over the Ogallala aquifer, America’s largest fresh water source supplying drinking water to over 2 million People.  The U.S Pipeline Safety Administration has not yet conducted an in depth analysis of the safety of diluted bitumen (raw tar sands) pipelines, despite unique safety concerns posed by it’s more acidic and MORE CORROSIVE properties. TransCanada predicted that the Keystone I pipeline would see one spill in 7years. But IN FACT there has already been over 12 spills in ONE YEAR! The company was then ordered to dig up 10 sections of pipe after government-ordered te3sts indicated that defective steel had been used, but guess what, the KeystoneXL will be constructed using the SAME steel from the same Indian manufacturer, NOT AMERICAN STEEL COMPANIES. Keystone XL will cross through America’s agricultural heartland, the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, the Ogallala aquifer, sage grouse habitat, walleye fisheries and many more vital, precious areas.

Contrary to popular belief the Keystone XL will NOT LESSEN U.S dependence on foreign oil, but will transport Canadian oil to American refineries for EXPORT to overseas markets according to TransCanada’s OWN presentation to their investors! Gulf Coast refiners plan to refine the cheap Canadian crude supplied by the pipeline into diesel and other products for export to Europe and Latin America. Proceeds from these exports are in fact EARNED TAX-FREE.  Almost All the crude oil refined from the pipeline’s heavy crude oil WILL NEVER REACH U.S DRIVER’S Tanks.

So now I ask you to think about this decision, as I ask:

Why not build their own refinery next to the Tar Sands instead of piping this corrosive, acidic, cancer causing oil all the way across America’s heartland to the gulf of Mexico?

End of my speech.
When I finished I was surprised to hear an uproar of applauses and hoots, but I had only one thing on my mind…get back to my chair and sink down into it so I could tame my now racing heart. On my way back to my chair I was shocked to have people already stopping me to shake my hand and commend me, but after all they where wearing those blue shirts.  After sitting down for a while I still could not tame my heart so I decided to go back to the truck and run my errands and see if getting away from this high energy area would help me to regain control over myself. Walking out I was stopped several times but with the hearing still in session I was able to get out fairly fast.  Upon returning to the hearing, I was even more amazed at the amount of pipeline supporters that stopped me to tell me that they greatly appreciated my speech and that it actually got them thinking and in some cases second guessing their stance on the issue! I was floored, honored and blushing all at once and happy that I faced my fear and stood up to defend what I believe in, for in all honestly I believe I actually made a difference this time!


[ The following is a link to watch the news repost on this event, with a quick clip of my speech included: http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=110929transcanada ]

Just watching this video, got my heart raceing again! Whew!