CEC continues its concern for the environment in 2015. In
addition to being green efficient internally, we believe it is important to
share information to keep ecological awareness alive and positive change
happening.
In order to keep up with our country’s need for fossil
fuels, energy companies have resorted to the use of oil pipelines. Two spillage
incidents occurred on January 17, 2015 leading many to question the safety of
this method of obtaining and transporting oil.
A recent article from The
Huffington Post states that residents of Glendive, Montana were alerted
that high levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, were found in their
public water supply following a spill that occurred in the Yellowstone
River. The CDC stated that although the
benzene levels did not pose any long-term health risks, they were not safe for
short-term consumption. Government officials and Bridger Pipeline Company
leaders (the owner of this portion of the pipeline) have yet to effectively
recover the crude oil, most of which appears to be trapped beneath the
ice-covered river.
The second incident was discovered near Williston, North
Dakota, where 3 million gallons of brine leaked into the water system. Brine is an unwanted byproduct of drilling
that is much saltier than seawater and may contain petroleum and residue from
the fracking process. The full
environmental impact of this spill may not be realized for months.
It is worth noting that the steps taken during the refining
process of converting crude oil to usable fuel have many concerned as well. If
a similar leak were to occur at one of the many refineries along a pipeline’s
route through our country, there could be further consequences.
It
is clear that if we are going to rely on pipelines as a method of obtaining and
transporting fossil fuels, we need to be more responsible in their usage,
starting now. As larger pipelines are
considered, it is imperative that we develop environmentally conscious methods
to monitor the safety of these devices or our waterways will continue to be
contaminated.
How
has your office been able to lower energy consumption?
Have you contacted your government leaders regarding your concerns?
Should we be spending more time and money on alternative methods of energy development?
