That's always the response. A few things though...
this proposed coastal pipeline does not bring anything that is not readily available. It adds a lot of risk to some extremely sensitive environmental areas in coastal GA that have little to no risk now. The "its safer" than whatever other means of transport does not matter in this case, because the pipeline doesn't replace the existing delivery of fuel. This is simply two competitors going at it. Looking at the map, it adds too much risk to too sensitive an area with minimal benefit other than to the fuel supplier. There are gas stations on almost every corner down here. We pay maybe 10 cents/gal higher than most other areas of the state...big deal.
I would guess pipeline valves are extremely expensive. Sure they'll have them. However, I can't imagine them being spaced so close together where the volume inside the affected section of pipeline between valves would ever be less than the volume in a number of train cars damaged in a derailment. Again, we'll still have the same number of tanker trucks on the roads pipeline or not. Some of these wetland areas are pure hell to get into. Forget trying to folks and equipment into some swamp or marsh area to ever clean up spill.
Government will force some folks (farmers) to have the pipeline over their property. I'm not big on oil companies, who will use influence over government, strong arming little guy landowners to make a buck. That is another aspect of this proposed pipeline that stinks. Government forces a one time easement payment by the oil company, the landowner assumes an unreasonable burden of risk in the event of a spill, and then the landowner has to pay the property taxes on the land under the pipeline! You want to look out over Your cotton field, perhaps shallow well irrigated, hoping that a pipeline full of fuel running through it holds up with the nearest shut off valve being a couple of miles away? Yeah, the oil company will cut you their lawyers brokered up check for a spill and be done with you just like BP.....that is not what anyone wants.
The risk is too great to too many for the benefit of too few imo.
This post was edited on 3/7 4:04 PM by JimBfishN