Despite obvious and overwhelming opposition from the crowd, the Duchesne County Planning Commission signed off in unanimous 3-0 fashion to approve a proposed reduction of the current oil well setback protection, diminishing it from 660 feet, to a meager 300 feet.

Duchesne County’s Altamont, Bluebell, and Cedar Rim oilfields are the most potent fields in Utah, and have produced far more petroleum that any other patches in the state. The Altamont alone has produced over 200,000,000 lifetimes barrels, and boasting a legendary 60,000,000 stock tank barrels per section, engineers have been exploring for decades how to maximize the area’s output.

In lieu of the aggressive deployment of fracking technologies that has come about as a result of the frack-for-all hall-pass handed out by former Vice President and Halliburton chief Dick Cheney, via way of his own 2005 Cheney Energy Bill, there seems to be no end in sight to oil and gas extraction in the Uintah Basin.

The massively productive Altamont Field has the density or spacing allotment for 4 wells per 640 acre section, and the County previously had in place a zoning regulation that stipulated wells to be no closer than 660 feet from a residential dwelling. But one oilfield expert whom we spoke with off the record, told us it was “insane to have a well set up even 660 feet from a residential dwelling as far as the safety issue is concerned, let alone 300″.

If you want to take a look at just what can go wrong, you only have to go back in time to last January when a drill rig, under the control of Frontier Drilling, caught fire in Roosevelt on a Devon Energy well site, which lead to the evacuation of 12 families living within a half mile radius due to fears of hydrogen sulfide gas and other harmful airborne pollutants. Just for you math whizzes, that’s 2,640 feet to be exact, nearly 9 times the newly approved “safety” distance, and about quadruple the old and abolished 660 foot barrier.

The “setback” is what allows local residents to protect themselves against a well being drilled on their patio, or next to the backyard barbecue or trampoline. Did the Commission just get together one fine day, all by themselves, and say to each other: “Hey, it’d be a great idea to get oil wells closer to the homes of the people that elected us. Just how do we go about doing that?” Or, was the Commission influenced by something to make this move?

What is not clear to us at this time is how, or why the Commission has made this move, but it certainly isn’t for the safety and sanctuary of the common man. It is suspected and surmised by community members that one or more undisclosed oil company representatives have lobbied or influenced the Commission for the weakening or complete obliteration of the old zoning regulation, a regulation that many with whom we have spoken say, is not a safe “setback” protection in the first place.

Operators in the Altamont, Bluebell, and Cedar Rim are not plentiful, and production is dominated by a handful of companies who are all set to benefit from newly increased latitude in their operational and exploratory endeavors, all at the expense to the common man’s safety and sanctuary. Companies such as Bill Barrett Corporation, Devon Energy, Quinex, and EP Production (Formerly El Paso Production Company) are all positioned to reap strategic drilling benefits by the new “setback”, while gaining an even more enabling hall pass to trample the backyard privacy of hardworking home and land owners.

The truth of the matter is, in most situations the drilling density in a section can be maintained while strategically positioning all of the wells allowed for that section tightly together on a single pad and away from dwellings. Utilizing the modern-day advent of lateral and horizontal drilling, the wells are subsequently drilled straight downward, and then horizontally outward into prime areas of interest contained within the section. Although more expensive, the deployment of horizontal drilling technologies allow the driller to go straight down until parallel to the zone of interest, and then turn the drill bit completely perpendicular, drilling out for a mile or more horizontally, and directly through the most productive pay zones. This practice has been implemented in the state of Colorado and beyond to maintain the safety and serenity of the local residential community.

In actuality, it can be stated that the only reason to ever position a well within 300 feet of a dwelling, is that drillers want to take an old, cheap, and haphazard road to profit, versus a more high tech method of horizontal exploration techniques, that though requiring more technology and diligence, oddly enough, lead ultimately, to much higher returns for the oil operator.

The creepy, Freddy Krueger-like, and relentless auditory expressions and sounds from a pump jack alone, that roll on day and night, and seemingly into eternity are enough to annoy and infuriate many a resident and Samaritan alike in the beautiful Uintah Basin, and these same creepy movie-like sound effects are easily audible from even the old and repealed 660 foot barrier.

When discussing oil well safety, it is imperative to recognize that pollution concentrates near it’s sources. Oil wells are, without a doubt, a point source emission and frequently vent gas from their tank batteries in addition to emitting various other pollutants into the groundwater from spills, carcinogenic well treatment chemicals, and more. That being stated, even the marginal, yet noticeable levels of increase in particulate and groundwater pollutants experienced continually at 660 feet, versus 300 feet from a well, should be a source of concern to pregnant mothers and those with small children. Pollution, although migratory, again concentrates near it’s sources, and components of gas and other chemicals emitted from oil wells are scientifically known to cause cancer and birth defects.

One word that your common man, and every review board in nearly every regulatory and environmental sector has been bombarded with over the head time and again with, is the word “SAFELY”. That’s what they ALWAYS say! “They”, meaning big energy pumpers. You know, like they can drill “safely” offshore (until the BP spill happened). And like, they can “SAFELY” build nuclear reactors on the ocean (until the full blown triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi happened). And that they can “SAFELY” tank oil around the oceans (until the Exxon Valdez spill happened). And like, how they can pump deadly bitumen crude from Tar Sands around the country “SAFELY” (until Mayflower Arkansas), and so on and so forth. This article could go on for miles citing examples of how energy developers said they could do it “SAFELY”, until the next loss of life, or human health or environmental calamity is upon us.

So the question remains: Is ANY energy exploration enterprise to be trusted when their accountability, loyalty, and very duty go, first and foremost to their shareholders for the bottom line? When stock value is the first priority and prime directive, and safety, workers rights, and environmental responsibility are tertiary at best? When oil and energy companies have been demonstrated to choose profit over people time and again, can they really be trusted when they use their very favorite little word “SAFELY”?

All of this is enough to make a person wonder, just where do the EPA and other Federal regulatory bodies stand on the issue concerning the proximity of drilling and well site operations, to human dwellings. And what kind of guidelines, if any, are being observed or enforced? Should it really just be up to the often industry-entrenched local municipalities in mining communities to determine what is truly a scientifically “SAFE” distance for oil wells to be from our abodes?

The Devon Energy/Frontier Drilling oil rig fire in Roosevelt, Utah was not an isolated or unique incident, and many drilling and oil well fires and explosions have been observed in recent years. This, coupled with the known hazardous, cancer causing, and mutagenic emissions that emanate from nearly every oil well to varying degrees, should raise major concern, especially for those wanting to conceive, those who are pregnant, and those with young children.

Part of the problem say some residents, is the fact that the Duchesne County Planning Commission is well known for scheduling public comment meetings at 1:30 in the afternoon, when the majority of concerned, working-class residents are unable to attend, a maneuver that some of those same citizens call an intentional “trick” that seeks to benefit the extraction agenda of the oil and gas industry, while excluding citizens from the process, stifling legitimate discourse, and sweeping the heartfelt concerns of the little guy under the rug. If the Commission is truly concerned with the health and well being of it’s constituents, and sincerely wants to encourage public input, comment, and participation, then why hold these meetings at a time when few can attend?

So just where is the line? Just what is too close? It should be quite obvious to nearly anyone with experience on the matter, that an oil rig explosion is going to cause a grave risk to anything within 300 feet of it, and we know from history that accidents do happen.

On a final note, it should be stated that there really are no barriers protecting children from the wells sites themselves, and anyone could quite easily pedal their bike up to a pump jack and attempt to gain a free Ferris wheel ride if they really wanted to. Most well sites in the basin are largely open, unenclosed, and unprotected, and if kids these days are anything like the rascally kids of yesteryears, one can only imagine what mischief could be offered by an up and down moving object out in the local pasteur. We were wondering if the oil companies would mind if residents hung their laundry from the pump jacks? Or perhaps kicking field goals through it would be fun? Would they mind if neighborhood families mounted a basketball hoop on it? After all, with the new “setback” protection in place, wells will be able to be so close to home, they’ll feel just like one of the family, right?

Fast forward over 3 decades, and on August 14th, 2011 at around 9 P.M., our nature and wildlife team raced West towards Hooper to catch what can only be described from afar as an electric sky out over the Northeast side of the Great Salt Lake.

Our team concurred that the only places they have seen that can rival good ol’ Hooper for it’s electrical storms are summer events in certain spots in New Mexico and Montana.

Witnessed here is a string of five separate segments extracted from the 2 hour event, where our camera team reported feeling very uneasy indeed while capturing this dazzling electric episode.

His horn had been removed by game officials to render it unavailable to poachers and scavenging opportunists. Even though the pride can scarcely move, they certainly were not about to let a mangy old buzzard get even a nibble off this mountain of carnivorous pleasure.

With all the work that went into devouring only a fraction of the old beast, sometimes even the best parents just need a break. Problem is, it sure can be hard to find the space and time for a little afternoon siesta with rascally little cubs scheming and conspiring at nearly every juncture. These little rabble rousers had been patiently waiting for mom to drift off, just for the opportunity to hone their climbing skills, unsupervised.

But make no mistake about it, the alert and powerful mother to these little tikes, snoozes with one eye open!

Music in this episode performed on “FreeNote Gamelans” by Richard Cooke. Mr. Cooke’s music and instruments can be found at www.FreeNotes.net

The Beartooth Mountain Range, and Montana’s Bitter Root Valley are legendary for their long stretches of immaculate wilderness coupled with thick deer, moose, bear and other wildlife.

The footage featured in this video is from some of the earliest shoots in our Nature and Wildlife Division, and originates from over a decade ago.

The music featured in this EnviroNews Montana launch video comes from Brooke Medicine Eagle who is a world famous medicine woman and spiritual teacher who as born and resided for much of her life in the vast back woods of the Big Sky State. Medicine Eagle’s work, including her books, CD’s, encampments and more can be explored at www.MedicineEagle.com

Please stay tuned over the next year as we bring you more awesome nature and wildlife episodes, as well as breaking reports on several key environmental issues facing Montanans. Welcome to EnviroNews Montana.

In August of 2011, and in the wake of several other raids on organic farms, Rawsome Foods of Los Angeles made headlines around the nation and the world, when they were made to be an example for the second time, by a large, multi-agency S.W.A.T. force that with guns drawn, raided and busted Rawesome, and incarcerated owner James Stewart, along with Sharon Ann Palmer and Eugenie Victoria Bloch of Healthy Family Farms, LCC, in a story that definitively put the raw milk issue on the media map, well at least the non-mainstream media that is.

The overwhelming majority with whom we have conducted interviews on the subject matter, and who grew up in rural areas with the opportunity to consume quantities of FRESH-outta’-the-cow raw milk, will tell you that it is virtually impossible to miss the contrast in flavor experienced between pasteurized and unpasteurized product, and that a person could almost never mistake one for the other in a tasting test. Where pasteurized milk, has a bit of a thin, bland, slightly putrid, and bad-breath-inducing quality, raw milk on the other hand, has a quite thick, creamy, rich and sweet flavor, that undoubtedly has the ability to bring the tips of ones milk mustache in an upward pointing direction.

In addition to possessing an absolutely scrumptious attribute on behalf of the taste buds, milk, in it’s unadulterated form is said to possess immune enhancing properties, as well as a plethora of medicinal effects that raw-foodists and other health experts say are just not present after the life and enzyme-annihilating process of pasteurization has taken place. Raw advocates all but preach to the notion that the health-promoting, and preventative-medicine-like benefits of these delicious and unadulterated substances far outweigh the risk, while professing that raw milk, unlike it’s lifeless counterpart, is actually beneficial against allergies, asthma, certain immune disorders, and more. It is also well known, that many people who are lactose intolerant and can not stomach pasteurized/homogenized milk products without gastrointestinal upset, can tolerate raw milk without ill effects.

But, make no mistake about it, raw milk, and countless other raw products for that matter, can potentially make a person very ill under an undesirable bacterial circumstances, but does that mean the solution is to wage a war-like, nuclear-mentality-based genocide, against all living things, in all living foods, so that everything we take into our bodies is utterly dead, and completely devoid of all immune-enhancing and beneficial microbiologicals upon arrival?

Certainly, living in a consumer-based society there must be some sort of REAL food safety oversight right? So just where do we draw the line, and where is the balance in this equation, especially in lieu of the fact that we continue to experience the Presidential appointment of outright “foxes to gaurd the henhouse” in our Federal regulatory agencies? One of the most blatant and most pertinent examples of this, is the recent appointment of ex-Monsanto executive Mike Taylor as the head of the FDA. If that is not a screaming conflict of interest foul, then what would be?

In the old days and before the widespread advent of pasteurization, it wasn’t uncommon to see bacterial poisoning from bad raw milk or other raw foods, but on that same front they didn’t have advanced and readily available microscopic testing capabilities, nor even transportation or refrigeration technologies like we have today. One would think it feasible that with todays techniques and technologies, and with a common sense oversight devoid of political or monetary motivations, that raw food, and raw milk should be able to be produced and delivered to consumers safely. But, raw food proponents claim that it is the regulatory bodies themselves, and namely the FDA that are running a corrupt agenda that aims not only to seek out and destroy raw milk and raw food farmers, but also small and organic family farms, in the name of their bought and payed for, big AG, big Pharma, and big GMO-laden agenda.

Organic Pastures Dairy Co., is the largest raw milk dairy in the United States, generating somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million dollars in revenue annually, and they willingly and openly demonstrate that they go far above and beyond the safety requirements for even raw food standards with “RAMP” (Risk Analysis & Management Program) and other evaluation efforts, performing 6 tests per day, while maintaining both in-house, and 3rd party off-site testing, for each and every batch of milk headed for the marketplace. Additionally, in a full disclaimer on their website, Organic Pastures Dairy fully acknowledges the fact that contaminated raw milk can be dangerous and has the potential to cause severe acute illnesses.

McAfee explained to us that it’s not typically the milk that poses any threat, but cow dung (and any accompanying dung-dust or dung particulate), and according to the CEO and raw food spokesman, the safety and anti-contamination measures observed by Organic Pastures Dairy Co. go far beyond even the most stringent of requirements, and they passionately maintain that when “responsibly produced”, raw milk causes little to no danger.

McAfee also claims that there has never been a reported death from raw milk in the United States since comprehensive record keeping on the matter began in the early 70′s, while it’s pasteurized counterpart has been the culprit behind 77 known deaths. McAfee also points to a case in 2006 where over 1,600 situations of gastrointestinal illness were reported due to the campylobacter bacteria in pasteurized milk in California State prison workers and inmates. Also noteworthy is how the case was apparently hushed up and swept under the rug, even mysteriously dodging a CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) press release.

It must be stated in regards to Organic Pastures Dairy Co., that in our research, we have discovered that the majority of the negatively-spun online media regarding the actual cases (as well as several unsubstantiated accusations) of quarantines and recalls, was put forth by one “news publication” that turns out to be the brainchild of one man, and not just any man, but a man who holds a very unique distinction. Food Safety News, founded by high-powered, and currently-practicing foodborne illness and food policy lawyer William Marler of the legal firm Marler Clark, is an online publication, that claims the name of “news” while being funded by a powerful, and legendarily anti-raw food legal firm.

According to the “news” organization in it’s own words “Marler Clark, continues to support Food Safety News as it moves toward greater financial independence through advertising revenue.” William, a.k.a, Bill (when he is reporting his “news”) Marler is touted in his own law firm bio as “the most prominent foodborne illness attorney in America”, and according to the Marler Clark website has been responsible for over $600,000,000 in foodborne case-related winnings, in addition to being a “major force in food policy in the U.S. and around the world”.

This blatant and stark conflict of interest within the REAL world of NEWS would be the hypothetical equivalency of something like a high powered oil and gas attorney, who is presently receiving massive financial benefit from defending oil and gas companies, founding a “news” agency with a name like “Energy Safety NEWS”. Although every American citizen has the right to exercise free speech and their 1st Amendment rights, there are certain ethical parameters that must be considered when determining what constitutes a valid “news” source, or a credible “news” publication or broadcast…well, at least there used to be.

These slight of hand maneuvers are a compromise to the integrity and very essence and meaning of “news” and must be exposed by agencies devoted to actual investigative reporting, so quite frankly, people have the opportunity to NOT buy into the hype. Just how far would Food Safety News go? Would they appoint a retired FDA head as the chief of their editorial board? We certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

A statement that stood out in our interview with the healmsman of America’s largest raw milk dairy was this: “I don’t know a whole lot of people that like the FDA!”…and come to think about it, neither do we, but when we dug in a bit, we did actually find one man who apparently adores the FDA to no end. His name: Hank Camppbell, and once again we have another Founder of an online publication. This time around, the publication at least had the wherewithal to leave “news” out of their name, but nevertheless, Science 2.0 has it’s fair share of questionable and fully opinion-riddled “reporting”.

In an article entitled “Raw Milk Dairy Organic Pastures Sues FDA Over Ban On Selling Foodborne Illnesses Across State Lines”, Campbell repeatedly gives praise to the FDA even saying that it “warms his heart” that they are actually doing something to protect people. It seems Mr. Campbell in his warm and fuzzy notion of the FDA, has forgotten the countless hall-passes that they have handed out to Big Pharma allowing companies to peddle dangerous drugs that maim and kill countless thousands, all in the name of “science” of course. Or perhaps Mr. Campbell forgot about the FDA’s utter compliance with companies like Monsanto who in God-mimicking fashion breed pesticide-resistance, as well as animal genes into our foods without even having to tell us. Maybe Science 2.0 did not take into account the highly questionable clearance that the FDA has allotted, that allows for constituencies to MEDICATE their drinking water supplies with a highly carcinogenic, IQ impeding, rat poison called FLUORIDE.

In the article Campbell utilized slanderous and almost childish language in his “reporting” on Organic Pastures, and said things like “Organic Pastures, America’s largest raw milk dairy and cause of numerous recalls just in the last year, would like to be able to make children ill across state lines and so they have filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to force a change in the current law”, as to paint the picture as if Organic Pastures Dairy’s primary modus operandi is scheming up any way imaginable to make children across state lines as sick as possible. When we dug a little deeper into the site and found articles like “Organic Farming Practices Cause 200 Instances Of Serious Food Poisoning”, “Raw Milk Quarantine Lifted – You Still Shouldn’t Drink It”, and other Bill Marler referenced and inspired materials, the practices and motivations of this publication started to become quite clear.

On the flip side of the extraordinary media coverage surrounding the Organic Pastures Dairy cases of recorded and purported contamination and subsequent recalls, we saw coverage by Natural News where their header rang “California regulators frame Organic Pastures and force raw milk shut down over fabricated E. Coli scare”. Natural News, once considered to be an online news publication of high credibility regarding issues of health and alternative medicine, has come under criticism as of late for their “news” publications that blatantly advocate firearm propagation, coupled with their alignment and partnership with controversial talkshow host Alex Jones of Info Wars. However, this being noted, the raw milk issue is within the strongest traditional lines of reporting at Natural News, and several very good points were raised in their article including the point that the CDFA instantly targeted Organic Pastures in a “knee-jerk” reaction without a shred of evidence and put them under quarantine, in a totally guilty until proven innocent maneuver, that in the interim successfully accomplished the shut down and suspension of all Organic Pastures Dairy sales. When the test results finally came back, the samples taken from the Organic Pastures Dairy products tested negative for E. Coli, the quarantine was subsequently lifted, and after an injurious stint, the dairy was allowed to proceed with it’s business activities. Many have called this, and similar activities by the CDFA and the FDA nothing more than “which-hunts” that seek to totally and completely eradicate a product that cuts into big industry and political agendas.

Mr. McAfee says he pays little attention to the potential distractions posed by media publications from pseudo-news organizations or lobbyists, and maintains that it’s all about educating the people who are listening, and building a marketplace for what he furverently defends as a powerful illness-preventing, and wholesome food.

When you boil it all down, this issue bears a striking resemblance to the prohibition and subsequent “good squad”-riddled war against marijuana, wherein according to a long running, and respected annual poll by Gallop, for the first time in U.S. history we see a majority of American’s now favor full blown legalization of the plant with 50% polling for legalization, as opposed to 46% who oppose it. It has also been demonstrated in similar polls that nearly 80% of Americans favor licensed medical practitioners having the capacity to prescribe whatever they deem appropriate to their patients, even if that includes a little, green, peace-promotoing, therapeutic and medicinal herb named “Mary Jane” that has so far not been responsible for a single known death due to a toxic overdose in millennia of widespread use.

When the government had the arguably insane idea to go and throw it’s own citizens in the paddy-wagon, and subsequently, in cages like animals, for the private consumption and/or manufacturing of alcoholic beverages, it was only a matter of time before around half of the Union’s states threw up the middle finger to the Feds, and in a nutshell said, “that’s not how it’s gonna be in our state!”. Eventually the Federal Government had little choice other than to fold up on it’s own prohibitory law against booze, and to fully legalize, tax, and regulate the dangerous, incapacitating, and potentially deadly substance.

Marijuana is currently legal in 2 states, and medically legal for doctors to prescribe in nearly 20, while raw milk is legal according to state law in 28 states across the country. Why is it that peaceful and often upstanding American’s continue to be transformed into criminals for marijuana, now far and away the largest cash crop in the country, by a full-blown, tax-payer-funded, men-in-black-driven war, when the majority of America’s citizens now want the substance fully legalized? In lieu of what is happening with people across the country taking back power at the state level, one is left to ask: Just when will the Feds be forced to cave in on the prohibition of raw milk?

One might ask: “Why such an extensive project of cinematography here in this particular location? Just what exactly makes the sunsets over the Great Salt Lake so special?”

In the last few years, Utah has gained worldwide notoriety for having some of the most dangerously polluted air on the planet. But hey, ya’ gotta look on the bright side right? And just what is the upside of all Utah’s dangerous and deadly air? Well, you’re looking at it! Thank you for watching.

After posing as an energy developer, the college economics student proceeded to successfully bid on 14 parcels, before the auction was stopped and they had to escort him outside. Due in part to DeChristopher’s action, and the proceeding legal entanglements, the parcels under attack, located near pristine and protected Canyonlands National Park, were subsequently saved when drilling claims were deemed illegitimate following the inauguration of Barack Obama and with him, his newly appointed Department of the Interior.

After refusing to show remorse for his actions, DeChristopher was convicted and sentenced to two years in Federal prison, in what many have referred to as a big-stick-wielding, act of political imprisonment and persecution on the part of the Federal Government, that sought to make an example out of Bidder 70 for his effective acts of civil disobedience.

We recap this classic and inspirational interview today in it’s unadulterated form, taped March 9, 2011. Monica Bellenger reports on local EnviroNews Utah. Holly Tuckett and Flying Hat Productions-lighting, additional cameras. Thank you for watching.

The false eyes on the back of the head are thought to serve two purposes: Confusing prey of which direction it’s looking, while appearing larger and more puffed-up to predators.

Nesting in the hole of a tree, this powerful little hunter lays 2-4 eggs and feeds mostly on invertebrates, although birds, bats, insects, and rodents are also staple commodities on a Pearl-spotted’s diet.

These winged ones of magnificent plumage and skill are common across regions in Southern Africa, and although they may be small, this day-and-night owl has powerful talons, and has been known to take out, and feed on birds weighing nearly 3 times more than itself.

The bird witnessed and taped here by our Nature and Wildlife Division, was an abnormally large one for the species, and stood on full alert, watching and quickly scrutinizing with camera, lens, and computer-like precision, every detail in sight.

For EnviroNews USA, thank you for watching!

Idaho, a vast terrain that to this day harbors long stretches of largely unadulterated wilderness, is home to a multitude of wildlife gatherings that inspire the human spirit.

Please enjoy this magnificent display of beauty and grace as these swans fly and float like velvet on a hot spring-saturated stretch of river, near Swan Lake, Idaho.

So for EnviroNews Idaho, welcome, and thank you watching.

In our part 3 coverage of our exclusive interview with the anonymous CEO, we explore the dirty details behind the 70′s and 80′s petroleum mining experiment that he said should have been scrapped when it didn’t work in the first place.

The sheer magnitude of the Alberta Tar Sands project has given birth to one of the world’s most expansive pipeline projects, via way of one of humanity’s largest carbon-emitting, wilderness-wrecking, eyesores. The greatest controversy of the four part project has arisen over the 4th and final phase of the continental snake, that is geared to run from the source in Hardisty, Alberta, through Montana and South Dakota, and over the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska, connecting eventually at the pipeline junction in Steele City, Nebraska where it joins into the existing Southward-moving Keystone-Cushing Pipeline, to the petroleum and holding tank hub in Cushing, Oklahoma. The bitumen crude would then be piped directly South from Cushing through the 3rd phase of the pipeline, currently under construction, to Texas where it will be refined and reportedly sold and shipped overseas for consumption.

The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the largest reserves of fresh water on the entire planet, and quenches the thirst of over 2 million people while providing hydration for over 20 billion dollars worth of agriculture per year, and environmentalists say that a major spill into the Ogallala could tarnish drinking water over 8 states while devastating the entire Midwestern economy.

In addition to the dangers of a major spill into the Ogallala, environmentalists in tandem with the EPA, the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), and others have cited the fact that the behemoth carbon footprint stamped by the Athabasca project is simply unjustifiable considering the current climate quandary. Tar sands oil, is highlighted for putting off at least 17% more carbon emissions than conventional crude during the refining process, and concerned citizens, scientists, and environmentalists also point to the fact that excessive heavy metals, and even radioactive substances are known to be emitted during the refining of the thick and carbon-loaded form of fossil energy.

Bituminous sands, aka bitumen crude or asphalt, is a quite nasty and uber thick little substance, who’s viscosity is said to be equal to that of cold molasses, and who’s innards contain the likes of sulfur, lead, nickel, mercury, arsenic, vanadium, chromium, selenium, and many other toxic metals and substances that are often released in the refining process. A battle is currently raging in Utah near PR Springs where America’s first commercial tar sands mining operation has been approved, and outraged citizens and concerned scientists are sounding the alarm over the seemingly inevitable release of Uranium from bitumen taken from the Rocky Mountain region.

On the environmental front, another aspect that is often highlighted, and that has gained worldwide notoriety as of late during the large Exxon bitumen spill in Mayflower, Arkansas, is that tar sands crude is extremely heavy and difficult to clean up, and often sinks instead of floating in water, making some cleanup efforts nearly impossible. Exxon has recently become a laughing stock in the mainstream media for their use of papertowels as a cleanup tool, and according to many on the ground in Mayflower, have been flowndering about in a largely fruitless effort to remove the viscous substance from waterways and multiple environmentally sensitive areas.

Opposition to Keystone XL has been fierce, and has fueled some of the largest protests and marches on Washington in American history. Tar Sands Blockade has been a continual thorn in the side of the transcontinental snake, and has seen many activist warriors hauled off in the paddy wagon in handcuffs after chaining themselves to buldozers and various pieces of equipment. In addition to Tar Sands Blockade, the No Tar Sands Oil campaign was launched in 2010 and brings together under one roof, a powerful group of activist organizations including Greenpeace, Corporate Ethics International, Friends of the Earth, NRDC, the Sierra Club, 350.org, and the National Wildlife Federation, who all stand together in solidarity against an energy plan that they say accelerates humanity into the climate abyss.

President Obama at first seemed receptive to the potential environmental devastation that could be unleashed from the pipeline, but in recent months, and in lieu of what many called an incomplete and shortsighted environmental impact review, the President seems poised to approved the final and heavily embattled 4th phase of the project.

Another common complaint put forth by Keystone opponents is that the completion of the pipeline will enable dirty bitumen, frequently used for road surfacing and roofing, to make it’s way to the Gulf of Mexico where it will pollute U.S. air and water further by being refined here, only to be inturn sold off to international clients like Venezuela at a profit to it’s Canadian owner. “Is it really gonna reduce the price of gas for you people. Why do ya even bother?” was the question posed by the oilpatch executive in black featured here in this newsreel, and barring environmental concerns, one is certainly left to ask weather U.S. citizens are to receive any net-positive economic results from the project, after massive transnational companies are bloated to the gills from their profits.

The “All Risk, No Reward” Coalition which includes the League of Women Voters, the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, STOP Tarsands, Keystone XL Truthforce, Nebraska Farmers Union, and many others has been asking very similar questions as of late, and has also released a compelling ad that seeks to inform people to the frequency and prevellency of oil spills, while highlighting that the end product will be shipped to “China and Venezuela”.

Despite all the ruffled feathers over the simply massive petroleum transportation project, it is expected that President Obama will make a decision on the 4th and final stage of the proposal in the upcoming weeks. Many say that the fate of the great Ogallala Aquifer, and possibly the climate itself, hang perilously in the balance of the President’s pen.