A Heated Public Hearing on OK Pipeline
Filed by Ben Allen in Feature, Local News, Politics.
October 7, 2011
More than 150 miles of new pipeline could flow through Oklahoma, taking a route from Cushing to Houston. The final public hearing on the issue drew pointed comments from both sides.
A noisy atmosphere at times greeted speakers in Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Building at the U.S. State Department hearing. Sarah Hodgdon, Director of Conservation for the Sierra Club, said the pipeline would do incredible harm to the environment.
“Even Canadians have rejected this pipeline project. But TransCanada is asking U.S. ranchers, farmers and landowners to shoulder the burden so they can pump their dirty tar sands through the American Heartland.”
Others spoke in support of the pipeline. A Native American from the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in central Montana said it would provide for future generations.
“The pipeline over its lifetime will provide billions of dollars in tax revenues which will help fund education, that is so important to our youth, our society, and our future.”
The State Department is expected to rule on the proposed pipeline by the end of the year.
events
