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Poor Construction on the Keystone XL Pipeline Increases the Risk of a Tar Sands Oil Spill – Ask Congress to take action

Congressional Oversight Hearings are Needed on the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction to Protect Health and Safety of the Public and Environment

Keystone pipeline southern leg - 1The bad news about the Keystone XL pipeline just keeps coming.

After months of research, Public Citizen has brought to light the grave risks posed by sub-standard construction of the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline. Poor welds, dents and other problems in the pipeline have led to TransCanada excavating it in 125 places to conduct repairs.

TransCanada’s poor safety record speaks for itself. The company’s Bison natural gas pipeline exploded within the first six months of operation, and the first phase of Keystone XL spilled 14 times in the first 14 months of its operation, according to the State Department’s August 2011 report on the pipeline.

Now TransCanada wants us to believe that all of the “anomalies” — that’s how they refer to over 200 instances of poor construction — have been identified and fixed and the pipeline is safe.

Say “no” to trusting TransCanada.

Ask Congress to hold oversight hearings on the pipeline before it is filled with toxic tar sands oil.

This pipeline is a disaster waiting to happen.

Not only is there a very real danger of the pipeline spilling toxic tar sands oil on private property and into waterways, but the climate change impact of the pipeline will undo all the progress we’ve made by reducing domestic use of coal.

The safety of the public and the environment must be protected.

Send a message to Congress asking for a full review of the pipeline’s construction practices to protect public safety and the environment.