Comedians Struggle To Cover Environmental Disasters, Mass Shootings, with Sensitivity and Decorum
When the Keystone XL pipeline experienced its 200,000-gallon leak a few weeks ago, polluting Native Americans’ land (as so many predicted it would), the writers on the America’s comedy shows had their work cut out for them.
Here’s the way The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah handled the scene. Nice work, IMO.
Craig,
Transportation of oil will always be a difficult and risky task. It seems everyone wants the benefits of oil products, but the “not in my backyard’ syndrome seems to obsess a small, but very loudly vocal group of opportunistic objectors, largely for political advantage.
The objection start with an absurd falsehood. Protestors and objectors begin with the absurd premise that oil is “evil” and should be left in the ground where it can do no harm, and society will continue prosper.
By using this totally unrealistic and ludicrous premise they are able to avoid explaining how oil should be transported. In reality, there are only two methods;
1) Rail
2) Pipeline.
Obviously, pipelines are the most superior method of transporting oil. Pipelines are not just economically superior, but safer for humans and the environment. Pipelines and pipeline technology is undergoing vast improvement in technology and reliability. like all major infrastructure they are vulnerable to defects, malfunction and damage (including sabotage).
The recent spillage was easily and quickly contained. The contaminated area was less than 20 acres and can be quickly cleaned and the land rehabilitated. With modern technology, the fears of large scale environmental damage are largely inaccurate and based on outdated knowledge. Pipeline monitoring and self repair systems have improve dramatically, but many older pipelines still exist and await replacement.
The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported no livestock, no farm buildings or houses or drinking water sources were affected by this spill which occurred in a remote area.
No Oil Company likes spillage or leakage, as it costs money. Not only does the company lose valuable product, but clean-up response and rehabilitation is expensive.
Keystone Pipeline is part of a 2,687-mile system that carries crude oil from Alberta to several points in the United States, including Illinois and Oklahoma. The planned expansion of 1,100 new miles to complete the US system is a major infrastructure project relieving pressure on hazardous Rail Transport.
It’s interesting that positions around the subject of fossil fuel pipelines so commonly offer a false choice – between the effectiveness of oil transport by rail or by pipeline – without mentioning or considering the extreme versatility of rail (which carries far more than just oil), versus a the combined cost and risk of a new single-purpose pipeline.
We can indulge as much happy talk as we like of the past glories of fossil fuels, and their many contributions to our present civilization. In light of the toxic and globally harmful nature of this outmoded ancient sunlight, a more than 40% increase in pipeline infrastructure is a fools errand. It’s designed to maximize short-term profit for the few at the long-term expense of the many.
Cameron,
What do you think powers Rail roads ? Sunlight ?
Transporting Oil by train isn’t just inefficient, uneconomic,dangerous and environmentally harmful, it’s also a major contributor to further degrading the already obsolete and poor quality US rail infrastructure.
In 2013 alone nearly 14 million gallons of oil was spilled by US oil rail transport. (10 times more than all pipelines put together, and 104 times by volume !) Worse, very few of these spills and leakages receive the sort of clean up and rehabilitation spent on pipeline spills.
Even more tragic over the last 10 years more than 1000 people have lost their lives with thousands more injured due to rail accidents caused by trains just transporting oil. (as opposed to no live lost in pipeline transport).
Recently 2,500 people were evacuated when portions of a 109 Oil tanker train derailed and then caught fire in a rural area southeast of Charleston. The fire burned uncontrollably for 5 days with all the Carbon released into the atmosphere.
In 1916 nearly 500,000 tanker cars of oil in the US were transported by rail (about 12% of total US oil).
On the other hand, pipelines have leaked less than 9 million gallons of natural gas and oil in the United States since 2010 ! None of these resulted in the sort of fires created by rail disasters, and none resulted in any loss of life or permanent environmental damage.
Despite the dramatic increase in production, leakages from pipelines has been falling die to newer technology being deployed in the over 73,000 miles of pipelines crisscrossing the US.
Evidence of the advantage of pipelines v rail, is so overwhelming (unless you’re the largest donor to the Democrats, Warren Buffet, with massive investment in oil rail tanker wagons)that opponents must fall back on a falsehood fantasy.
The falsehood is the world will be soon able to abandon oil as a commodity. Oil’s 350,000 products remain essential to maintaining modern civilization and will be essential to human survival long into the foreseeable future.
The question is the best, safest and most environmental method of transport, not indulging some fantasy about the demise of oil and natural gas, while the environment suffers !
Or are the profits and ol’ Warren’s donations to the Democrat party really your primary concern, eh ?
The question is a simple one. Is it better to massively expand single purpose pipelines or address existing issues with versatile rail? Include the factor that fossil fuels are now already in the process of being phased out over time to achieve (comparatively) low usage.
Cameron,
The answer even to your loaded question is YES !
Pipelines carrying oil and natural gas are safer, more efficient and far less environmentally harmful.
When, and if, pipelines ever become obsolete they’re easily removed and recycled. Rail isn’t really versatile since rail routes are designed to serve many population centres with infrastructure never designed to carry the sort of loads now required.
1000 deaths v Zero, thousands of horrific injuries and community property destruction, 14 times the environmental damage caused by rail leakage, lack of effective clean up facilities,vast amounts of toxic air-pollution, increase consumption of diesel by trains, the list goes on and on….
How much more human misery and destruction will it take for you to stop making Warren Buffet richer ? Are you that desperate not to offend the Democrats largest donor ?
I’m fairly certain Warren is ignorant of both our existences, mp.