Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Yellowstone Oil Spill

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/7/3/1309690362958/Oil-swirls-in-the-Yellows-007.jpg

Valentin Sigalov // Prokhor Zakharov

Just a few days ago, a Montana pipeline burst, which led to over 50,000 gallons of oil to gush into the Yellowstone River. This led to their governor declaring a state of emergency, warning residents of nearby cities to not drink the tap water.

The pipeline ruptured 5 miles upstream from Glendive, right into a frozen river. This is both a blessing and a curse - The oil hopefully wouldn’t spread far, but the weather conditions make it difficult to clean. Nearby residents reported a distinct diesel smell from their drinking water.

This isn't the first time that an oil pipeline has ruptured into this river - back in 2011, 42,000 gallons poured out of an Exxon pipe. These incidents are exactly what leads me to be against the construction of pipelines, specifically, I am referring to the Keystone XL. A high chance of causing ecological disaster for slicing off a few bucks off the final product’s cost. Is it truly worth it?

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