TransCanada again blocked from using eminent domain along Keystone XL route

[Auburn85 432]

http://www.omaha.com...2a6bca2c67.html

LINCOLN — A second court has halted land condemnation along the route of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

York County District Judge Mary Gilbride ordered a temporary injunction Thursday to stop pipeline builder TransCanada from using eminent domain to obtain land from property owners unwilling to sell easements to the company. The ruling affects property along the southern portion of the 275-mile pipeline route through Nebraska.

Two weeks ago, a judge in Holt County ordered a similar injunction for the northern part of the route.

Combined, the rulings mean the company can’t proceed with eminent domain cases until lawsuits filed by pipeline opponents are decided by the Nebraska Supreme Court, a process that could take as long as two years.

About 80 landowners have refused voluntary easement agreements with the company, according to TransCanada officials. The company has negotiated deals with 90 percent of the more than 500 landowners.

Last month, the State Supreme Court left in place a 2012 state law used to approve the pipeline route across Nebraska. Four of the judges said the law unconstitutionally gave the governor authority to decide the pipeline route, falling one short of the supermajority needed to overturn a state law. Three dissenting judges declined to rule on the constitutional challenge.

The opposing landowners responded by filing new lawsuits in an attempt to get a decisive ruling from the Supreme Court.

The pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels daily of mostly heavy crude oil from western Canada to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Supporters say the project will provide jobs and energy from a friendly trade partner. Opponents argue the carbon-heavy oil will worsen climate change, and possible spills would contaminate underground water supplies.

[homersapien 11,366]

Funny how the "land taking" of this pipeline is over-looked by it's proponents.

It amounts to seizing the property of U.S. Citizens for the benefit of a foreign, for-profit corporation.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

[autigeremt 6,599]

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

[homersapien 11,366]

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

How about addressing the train problems directly instead of just accepting them as normal?

As a land owner about to have my property seized, I'd like to try that approach first.

[alexava 6,973]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

i'm whicha

[DKW 86 7,419]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

[homersapien 11,366]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

[DKW 86 7,419]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

[homersapien 11,366]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

[AUloggerhead 2,229]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Not speed, but overall cost -- which also includes the cost of safety. Update on the recent WV oil train derailment :

http://marcellusdrilling.com/2015/02/update-on-bakken-oil-train-derailment-in-wv-unreported-fact/

Btw, the train was traveling at about 30-35 mph in a 50 mph speed zone when the derailment occurred.

... Unreported Fact

The reason this train exploded and burned when it derailed is because the crude oil it carries is saturated with natural gas liquids, or NGLs. The crude coming from Bakken Shale is full of NGLs (things like ethane, pentane, butane and even propane). NGLs are far more combustible in a liquid state than crude alone. The solution to preventing future disasters is to either ship the oil via pipeline (hello Keystone XL, thank you President Obama for blocking it, you dope), or to separate out the NGLs *before* the crude is loaded onto rail cars and sent on down the tracks.

The missing piece of information–what’s NOT being reported in coverage of this story–is that North Dakota passed legislation late last year that requires Bakken Shale oil producers to begin separating out NGLs starting April 1st of this year (see ND Regulators Pass Rule Making Bakken Crude by Rail Safer). If NGLs are stripped out and new rail car designs like the CPC 1232 are used, it should prevent disasters like this in the future. It won’t prevent derailments–they’re a fact of life and that’s not going away. But it will prevent explosions and huge fires like the one that accompanied this derailment. ...

[AUloggerhead 2,229]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

Totally wrong. US refineries would benefit. US pipe manufacturers would benefit. US shipping companies would benefit shipping the pipeline & other construction materials to the construction site. US construction companies would benefit. US labor unions would benefit by providing labor for manufacturing, shipping, construction, operation & maintenance of the pipeline. And, last but certainly not least, US citizens would benefit from consuming at least HALF of the estimated output from the refineries. You (and the President) are all wrong on this issue. So says the fact checker at the WA PO: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/02/obamas-claim-that-keystone-xl-oil-bypasses-the-u-s-earns-four-pinocchios/?postshare=7921425299882174

[homersapien 11,366]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

Totally wrong. US refineries would benefit. US pipe manufacturers would benefit. US shipping companies would benefit shipping the pipeline & other construction materials to the construction site. US construction companies would benefit. US labor unions would benefit by providing labor for manufacturing, shipping, construction, operation & maintenance of the pipeline. And, last but certainly not least, US citizens would benefit from consuming at least HALF of the estimated output from the refineries. You (and the President) are all wrong on this issue. So says the fact checker at the WA PO: http://www.washingto...921425299882174

Refineries will get the oil anyway.

And really, I am supposed to surrender my land to the government so American pipe manufacturers can sell more pipe?

Or to provide temporary construction jobs? Or a few maintenance jobs?

How about the jobs associated with upgrading our RR system. After all, they don't require the taking of someone's land.

[DKW 86 7,419]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

If i am a stockholder in TransCanada, does that make me one of them there dang ole furriners?

I want to finish the already operating pipeline just for the environmental concerns of transporting by truck or rail...

[AUloggerhead 2,229]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

Totally wrong. US refineries would benefit. US pipe manufacturers would benefit. US shipping companies would benefit shipping the pipeline & other construction materials to the construction site. US construction companies would benefit. US labor unions would benefit by providing labor for manufacturing, shipping, construction, operation & maintenance of the pipeline. And, last but certainly not least, US citizens would benefit from consuming at least HALF of the estimated output from the refineries. You (and the President) are all wrong on this issue. So says the fact checker at the WA PO: http://www.washingto...921425299882174

Refineries will get the oil anyway.

And really, I am supposed to surrender my land to the government so American pipe manufacturers can sell more pipe?

Or to provide temporary construction jobs? Or a few maintenance jobs?

How about the jobs associated with upgrading our RR system. After all, they don't require the taking of someone's land.

Refineries will get the oil anyway? How ... by rail? FYI, even so-called "green" energy transmission lines require the use of eminent domain law: http://www.ibew.org/...07/03.0711.html For that matter, what's an oil pipeline except another energy transmission line? And, for the record ... ALL construction projects are "temporary," even stimulus-type-shovel-ready projects promoted by this administration.

I forgot to add that US oil companies will also benefit from the pipeline -- they are currently extracting about 30% of the output from the Alberta oil sands. So, curb your xenophobia about just the Canadians profiting from this project. Face facts: the Keystone XL project would be a huge boon to all US citizens, legal or otherwise.

One more thing -- you're right about improving existing railroads would not require the taking of private citizens' land. Mainly because eminent domain law was already used to permit construction of most of the railways(!) and Interstate highways as well.

[homersapien 11,366]

I have two problems with the pipeline, the eminent domain issue and, the unjustified exemption from the oil spill cleanup fund. Other than those two things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,start building!

The more time goes by, the more opportunity for train derailments. Pick your poison.

Bingo.

What can you do to fix train derailments/spills? You cant make a car heavy enough to not rupture in a derailment.

How about lowering the speeds? Repairing the track?

I know from personal experience that track owned by freight companies is atrocious. Just try riding Amtrak through parts of Alabama and Georgia. I feel embarrassed for our country knowing European tourists might be on that train.

helps but dont stop it, besides rail has to compete with trucks and pipelines, speed is of the essence.

Only as it relates to the profitability of the (Canadian) company shipping it. That hardly justifies the government seizing my land.

If i am a stockholder in TransCanada, does that make me one of them there dang ole furriners?

I want to finish the already operating pipeline just for the environmental concerns of transporting by truck or rail...

OK, fine.

How about: ....Only as it relates to the profitability of the globalized oil company shipping it. Does that work for you?