We’re working on a positive post (believe it or not!) that we’ve been meaning to get to for a while. But things just keep getting in the way. First, the Rover news broke, then we went on vacation in Minnesota, where we spoke to the Friends of the Headwaters), then Enbridge once again flouted a local ordinance, then they went around trying to erase and rewrite history, and then peddled some more untruths. Enbridge has been giving us so many negative things to write about that we haven’t had time to mention a positive one. But stay tuned for that very soon.
In the meantime, we thought we’d call your attention to a couple of national news items that ought to be of some interest, since what is happening around the country– to the west and to the east– is also happening (or, in other cases, should happen) here in Michigan. So let’s connect a few dots:
- If you haven’t seen the latest from Inside Climate News regarding the ongoing scandal surrounding the California Public Utilities Commission and its (mis)handling of matters related to the terrible San Bruno explosion, you’ll want to take a look at Elizabeth Douglas’s latest piece. As always, it’s excellent journalism, although the appalling story Douglas tells of the cozy relations between regulators and industry is sure to raise your blood pressure. What’s happened in California is especially egregious and maybe extreme. But we think it’s also emblematic of the kinds of close ties between regulators and the companies they’re supposed to regulate all over the country. We caught plenty of glimpses of this industry-friendliness during the MPSC proceedings to approve the Line 6B replacement. As our series showed, Enbridge pretty much owned that process.
- Which is all the more reason for citizens to speak up and speak out and take action. That’s what’s happening in Massachusetts currently, as residents there make it clear that they want no part of a newly proposed natural gas pipeline. Their actions should be an inspiration to landowners along the proposed ET Rover pipeline. Their first act of resistance: refusing the pipeline company permission to survey– something we’ve recommended here and that many of you, or so we’ve heard, are already doing. It also looks like there’s a good chance some townships will do the same and also voice their opposition to Rover publicly and formally.
It’s the wild west for oil and gas expansions all across the country right now, a reckless gold rush. Despite what the energy and pipeline companies will tell you, these infrastructure projects are not taking place with the best interests of local communities, landowners, and the environment uppermost in mind. And unfortunately, the agencies charged to protect those interests only seem to serve the interests of industry. That just leaves, well, us.