By PAUL THACKER
Who says government workers are lazy? Not us.
Why, just last week, the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Office of Pipeline Safety shut down TransCanada's controversial Keystone Pipeline after two spills in the last month--one in North Dakota, the other in Kansas.
This pipeline pumps crude oil from the tar sands of Canada to refineries here in the States.
The agency then got all serious with TransCanada. On Friday, they issued TransCanada a Corrective Action Order (CAO), telling them to clean up their act. The CAO demanded no fewer than 14 corrective actions. Here's part of what the CAO said:
I find that the continued operation of the pipeline without corrective measures would be hazardous to life, property and the environment.
It gets all extra, extra serious here:
I find that a failure to issue this Order expeditiously to require immediate corrective action would result in likely serious harm to life, property, and the environment. Accordingly, this Corrective Action Order mandating immediate corrective action is issued without prior notice and opportunity for a hearing. The terms and conditions of this Order are effective upon receipt.
Sounds pretty serious, huh? We thought so too. But did TransCanada get the message? Apparently so, because the next day, the agency came to the decision to let TransCanada restart the pipeline.
A decision that was made...within 24 hours. A decision that, apparently, was made...on a Saturday.
Hmmmmmm...
Oddly enough, we're hearing that some Hill staff and Washington insiders sense the touch of political influence instigating all that weekend activity on behalf of TransCanada.
TransCanada is trying to get approval for another transnational pipeline called Keystone XL, and because the pipeline runs across the Canadian/U.S. border, the State Department is the lead agency for approval.
Hillary Clinton has been very public in her support of Keystone XL, even before an environmental analysis had been completed. The company's top lobbyist is Paul Elliott, who was Clinton's national deputy director back when Secretary Clinton was running for the Democratic nomination for President.
We're certain, of course, that this has nothing to do with DOT's lightning fast ability to resolve TransCanada's problems...within 24 hours. On a weekend.
Paul Thacker is a POGO Investigator.
Image: afagen
It's just another day of doing business in our country of graft, greed and "pulling the wool" over our eyes. Unfortunately most voters will not see this and it will be forgotten tomorrow if they do see it. We are much too busy with important stuff like our I phones, I pods, Blackberries, virtual reality games, etc. to be worrying about a "lil ole oil spill. Tsk Tsk.
Posted by: Don Neuville (dville) | Jun 13, 2011 at 08:39 AM
I don't care if the Canadian lobbist is Paul Elliot. Shut em down and keep them down until they comply. We don't need any more oil spills like the gulf. On dry land they don't have a bottom to sink to.
Posted by: Mary Beattie | Jun 12, 2011 at 08:10 PM
I am extremely interested in POGO's finds as our "tv" and media (popular media - to wit: rush, hannity,beck and et.al) will not NOT tell us the truth.
Posted by: shirley whalen | Jun 12, 2011 at 11:10 AM