In the last day or so, the Mitchell Newspaper had a column from losing Senate Candidate Rick Weiland, that seems a little too much like he’s still in campaign mode:
In fact, I cannot think of one reason to build this pipeline other than to placate big oil and its big money. I can think of lots of reasons not to.
Did you know, TransCanada, a foreign oil corporation, can take South Dakota farm and ranch land without landowner permission through eminent domain?
Did you know that Keystone One, built in 2010, leaks on a regular basis — some big leaks, too — and that Keystone XL is going to be built over the Ogallala Aquifer, a vital source of water for our region?
And did you know, that the energy it takes to extract the tar sand oil, liquefying it for transport, refining and shipping it overseas for sale, will dump 100 million tons of additional carbon into the atmosphere?
When the threat of climate change has 99 percent of the scientists in the world seriously worried about the future of the planet and the human race, this greed is inexcusable and needs to be exposed and rejected. We should be transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, not doubling down on Keystone.
“Big Oil, Big Lie.” Did anyone point out to Rick that no one bought this same tired rhetoric in the campaign, so he suffered a “Big Loss?” South Dakotans didn’t buy it then, and they still aren’t interested in smoking what he’s offering.
Tone Deaf:
Ideology Obsessed
Dense
Irrelevant.