Friday, July 15, 2011

State Dept. hires TransCanada consultant to approve Keystone pipeline

Signs point to US approval of oilsands pipeline - Chicago Tribune

"The US State Department has completed two environmental impact statements on the [Keystone] pipeline with the help of Cardno Entrix, an environmental consulting firm that has said its biggest clients include TransCanada Corp., the owner of the Keystone pipeline system."


I hadn't heard this before so I checked out the Cardno Entrix website. See above graphic.

On June 1, 2010, Cardno, "an integrated professional services provider" acquired two US environmental consultancy firms, ENTRIX and ERI .

From Cardno’s ENTRIX and ERI Acquisition Strategy on "complementary markets":
•Acquiring ENTRIX and ERI will increase Cardno’s revenue from environmental consulting businesses –a growth industry.
•Cardno’s strategy is also to increase its proportion of revenue from resources and energy business including oil and gas, mining and industrial sectors.
Current Key Projects.
Keystone and Keystone XL Pipelines
Client: US Department of State and TransCanada
ENTRIX is the prime contractor for the preparation of two third party EIS’s for the US Department of State and TransCanada Keystone Crude Oil Pipeline System. The project features 1,702 miles of new 36-inch diameter pipeline (327miles in Canada and 1,375 miles in U.S.) with capacity for 900,000 barrels per day.

ENTRIX is preparing two Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Presidential Permits for international border crossing under the direction of Department of State and Department of Energy.
Well that's handy. And we already know much of the Koch-sponsored US House Energy and Commerce Committee is on board.

Funny thing - TransCanada is also a sponsor of our own government's quest for a national tarsands energy strategy.
.
.

5 comments:

Beijing York said...

This is getting very depressing. Caught the tail end of a report on CBC Radio about these energy giants marketing to the kiddies (and their parents more importantly).

kbockmann said...

We NEED KeystoneXL pipeline, Regulations are strict. Pipeline not in danger of Corrosion on the insider or outside. BE INFORMED. http://kbockmann.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Reuters: "Exxon Mobil said on Friday that a pipeline that failed two weeks ago, leaking oil into the Yellowstone River, routinely transported a heavier and more toxic form of crude than the company and federal regulators initially acknowledged.

The Silvertip pipeline carries so-called tar sands crude from Alberta.
Federal inspectors were trying to determine if transport of the synthetic petroleum product could have triggered internal corrosion that may have played a role in the rupture."

42,000 gallons/1,000 barrels spilled into the Yellowstone. It took over an hour to shut it down.

Alison said...

Bockmann : Regulations are strict?

"Yesterday, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety administrator Cynthia Quarterman told Congress that her agency had been questioning Exxon about the safety of the Silver Tip pipeline since October, 2010. Apparently regulators never asked what was in the pipeline.
This isn’t as surprising as it may seem, as current pipeline safety regulations do not treat corrosive raw tar sands crude any differently than conventional oil."
~ NRDC

West End Bob said...

Canada: The 51st state

Looking more and more plausible . . . .

Blog Archive