Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
The Trump administration issued a new permit yesterday that would allow the Keystone pipeline -- part of the pipeline system that would include the controversial proposed Keystone XL -- to increase capacity by 170,000 barrels of oil per day.
The existing pipeline had a dozen spills in its first year of operation alone, and has had major spills in North Dakota and South Dakota in recent years.
The Trump administration’s attempt to ram through approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would connect the existing system to tar sands operations in Alberta, is on hold due to repeated rejections in court.
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels associate director Catherine Collentine released the following statement:
“This expansion is shockingly dangerous. The existing Keystone pipeline has already had numerous disastrous spills and dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into our farmland and waterways. The last thing communities along the route need is even more dirty oil running through the pipeline every day.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.