Independent Guestatorial: Halting a ticking time bomb – The Diamond Pipeline

“Disasters don’t just happen. They’re a chain of critical events.” – Seconds from Disaster

The Public Service Commission information on the pipeline docket is downright scary. With the construction of the pipeline ready to start at any time, or not, the sworn testimony of Stephen Lee, the Diamond Pipeline project manager is all the information we have. “Q. Will the river crossings, if constructed and operated under DP pipeline’s plans, be safe? A. Yes. The river crossings are designed and will be operated in a manner that will not jeopardize the public safety.” Direct Testimony of Stephen R. Lee, August 11, 2016.

“Yes” is not enough. Lee makes stuff up; when asked about the route crossing the Mississippi, Arkansas, and White Rivers, Lee said, “We began with a desktop survey that combines all available data… We also send a team to walk the entire route in person and consult with regulatory agencies regarding possible routes.” Here is the truth: Lee used a laptop in his Houston, Texas office. There is no way to walk the route.

Who is responsible for the safe construction and operation?

Diamond Pipeline, LLC, the name used with APSC, is a dummy corporation with a perfect safety record. Behind the scenes is Plains All-American Pipeline LLP (PAAP), indicted on 46 criminal charges and four felonies for the 2015 Santa Barbara, Calif., pipeline that ruptured a year ago. 100,000 gallons of crude oil contaminated pristine beaches and ended up in the Pacific Ocean.

What can go wrong during construction and operation?

The New Madrid Fault is ignored. Fracking shale plays, the reason for the pipeline, are responsible for earthquakes, droughts from millions of gallons of wastewater stored underground in injection wells, contamination of aquifers, etc. Chemical spills are a new form of chemical warfare against American citizens.

“March 29, 2013, the day of the spill, was a beautiful day. Then later, in the afternoon, everything quickly became very chaotic, and a horrid smell filled the town. In the days following Mayflower became one huge construction zone: 18-wheelers hauled in heavy machinery and storage tanks, potable water trucks covered our streets, police officers barricaded roads, fire departments came from multiple different areas to aid in the cleanup. Exxon, government agencies, and city officials determined our lives immediately. They controlled what parts of town we went to, what homes we could go in, what businesses stayed open, and if we could go and see what was going on. No-fly zones went into place and media was limited. I all seemed surreal and more like a bad movie.” – Genieve Long, Mayflower, Ark.

Preventing chemical warfare

PAAP and Welspun pipes are known for unsafe and irresponsible management practices resulting in oil spills. Without state or federal agencies supervising the construction and operation of the line, the date and location of the first spill are the only unknowns.

In a democracy, the people at risk have the power and the right to decide. No one has the right to put at permanent risk the public health, water, food and other natural ecosystems giving life. Construction of the pipeline is unacceptable; the entire project must be halted.

CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere, over 410 ppm and rising, is the most important metric. The total cost of oil spills, including the social cost, plus the carbon footprint of the entire line from fracking to burning fossil fuels for transportation, exceeds any apparent short-term benefits to the economy

Please join the efforts to halt the pipeline

DP has all easements and permits. The battle is to halt construction, to prevent chemical warfare, and send a clear message to all frackers to stop messing with Mother Earth. We are all at risk and we need everyone. No one is in charge, we fight like cells with a single objective, and we are in all the way.

1. Join the Facebook group Stop the Diamond Pipeline
2. Join a Meeting of the Minds – at a date and place near you
3. Join and share the online petition to President Obama, tinyurl.com/Halt-DP

Dr. Luis Contreras