How Every Senator Voted on the Keystone XL Pipeline

So Quicksilver, just how would you suggest we transport the oil in a safer way? Or would you just suggest that we stop using oil entirely?

Let us see. Oil is used for heat, fuel, plastics, and lots of other useful items for the health and safety of most all of us. You must feel left out of the good side of our use of oil and its products.

Just a question. As I am unable to see your argument given so far.
 

They must have some pretty high-tech montioring/testing equipment for "underground" pipelines, and well as electrical lines, phonelines. They wouldn't just "dig up everything" to check. I was looking online for their system of doing this but I think someone more knowledgeable will better post something on that;) I mean if we can look inside a body with MRI's etc. we can sure look underground.

I didn't read this yet, but thought it might have some good info, looks like a decent site, but I've been fooled before;)

http://www.reftek.com/applications/pipeline-monitoring.htm
 
Omygosh, I didn't know how many underground pipelines there are in the US already, no one light a match:( Geez, I always said we would blow ourselves up, but I thought it would be with nuclear weapon:( I think I'll go find a "save the planet" thread:(
 

nwlady said:
Omygosh, I didn't know how many underground pipelines there are in the US already, no one light a match:( Geez, I always said we would blow ourselves up, but I thought it would be with nuclear weapon:( I think I'll go find a "save the planet" thread:(
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The last I saw, there are already 2.5 million miles of pipeline buried under our soil....and it is very rare to hear of any problems with them...certainly far less incidents than tanker trucks having a wreck on the highway, or a train derailing as it goes through some small town. There is NO perfect solution, but so long as we need to use oil and gas, it only seems logical to move it in the safest manner. It seems that the most common occurrence of pipeline troubles is when a contractor is digging around a natural gas pipeline and hits it with his backhoe.
 
I see your point Don, go for what's safest and best. I didn't know the numbers of incidents/deaths/destruction of property on the pipelines in the US, comparatively speaking but I'd be interested, so I'll see what I can find, or maybe someone will post a link.
 
Quicksilver posted a ProPublica link a few messages up that gives a good summary of pipeline accidents over the past few years. If you look at the details, the vast majority of these eruptions are due to either Old Age...many of these pipelines were built as long as 80 years ago...when regulations were non-existent, and/or they have not been maintained to today"s standards. The details of this article also point out the high number of "contractor" related accidents where they hit a pipeline during other construction. Even this article freely admits that pipelines are a far safer way to move these products, than any above ground means...even though QS would like to use this article to reinforce her position.

Along with the many pressing Infrastructure needs of this nation...replacing some of these "ancient" pipelines should be receiving a fairly high priority from our government.
 
Don M. said:
Quicksilver posted a ProPublica link a few messages up that gives a good summary of pipeline accidents over the past few years. If you look at the details, the vast majority of these eruptions are due to either Old Age...many of these pipelines were built as long as 80 years ago...when regulations were non-existent, and/or they have not been maintained to today"s standards. The details of this article also point out the high number of "contractor" related accidents where they hit a pipeline during other construction. Even this article freely admits that pipelines are a far safer way to move these products, than any above ground means...even though QS would like to use this article to reinforce her position.

Along with the many pressing Infrastructure needs of this nation...replacing some of these "ancient" pipelines should be receiving a fairly high priority from our government.
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Oh Really?? Aging infrastructure??? We never have been very good at replacing anything... What makes you believe we will start? These pipelines will also age... We don't inspect what we have... so what makes you believe that putting in more will be any different?
 
"What makes you believe that we will start?" We will "start" when our people demand that government spends our money on rebuilding this nation, rather than policing the world, and paying people Not to work. Given the age and condition of much of our existing infrastructure, that day may not be too far into the future. There are hundreds of bridges, thousands of miles of roadway, water and sewer systems that are falling apart, an electrical grid just waiting to collapse, etc.,etc. If this present deterioration continues for many more years, it will finally capture the peoples attention to the point where they will demand that Washington begin to spend some of our tax dollars on things that really matter.

Every one of our Infrastructure items has a "life span"...and for the most part, that "reality" has been ignored. Bridges and roads (and pipelines) don't make many Political Campaign Contributions.
 
It seems to me that most of the items stated to be about worn out are privately owned, not government owned. Power systems are private industry in most places I am thinking of, some might be government owned by either cities or states. Roadways and bridges are mostly local public owned projects but a few are actually privately owned by highway projects for turnpikes etc. Interstates are joint federal and state projects. But many bridges are of city and/or county owned and built. Most of our roads are owned and maintained by the city, county, or state or by joint ownership of all those folks. Water systems are often city or private owned. That is the way most of our US things are. Very little actually owned by the US federal government. Often times federal supervision of designs and approvals, but still the ownership remains with others as does the maintenance of much of it.

With the amount of debt being created and obviously left behind by our current government, how will the federals ever be able to provide improvements. Those responsibilities will remain with the responsible agencies and the private businesses.
 
BobF said:
It seems to me that most of the items stated to be about worn out are privately owned, not government owned. Power systems are private industry in most places I am thinking of, some might be government owned by either cities or states. Roadways and bridges are mostly local public owned projects but a few are actually privately owned by highway projects for turnpikes etc. Interstates are joint federal and state projects. But many bridges are of city and/or county owned and built. Most of our roads are owned and maintained by the city, county, or state or by joint ownership of all those folks. Water systems are often city or private owned. That is the way most of our US things are. Very little actually owned by the US federal government. Often times federal supervision of designs and approvals, but still the ownership remains with others as does the maintenance of much of it.

With the amount of debt being created and obviously left behind by our current government, how will the federals ever be able to provide improvements. Those responsibilities will remain will remain with the responsible agencies and the private businesses.
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That's quite true...the Federal Government doesn't really "own" our infrastructure...maybe the Interstate Highway system would be the closest thing to Federal government "ownership". Most of the utilities are owned by private corporations, and I would imagine that most bridges fall under the State and Local government authority. However, both the Federal and State governments can authorize Bonds which can then be used to finance infrastructure renovations, etc.

Rebuilding our nations aging components will be a long and very costly task, but the longer its delayed, the more it will cost.
 
That's something I hadn't thought of either (a lot I don't know or even think of) Thanks for the post Bob.
 

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