Dear Friends,

It’s impossible to say for sure, but I’ll bet anyone a dozen cage-free eggs that another oil pipeline through Iowa is under consideration. The mere threat of another round of condemnation for a new pipeline underscores why it’s so important to call, write or visit your state representative and senator again and immediately!

Remind them to vote “NO” on SF 2235 / HF 2394! If this legislation passes, crude oil pipelines will be classified as “critical infrastructure.” That could make it a whole lot easier for another pipeline to be sited through Iowa in the future.

Click here for details on SF 2235 / HF 2394 and how to contact your legislators.

Remember, the squeaky wheel . . . um . . . gets the oil.

Here’s why Big Oil is pondering another pipeline, and why we need to remain vigilant and ready to spring into action:

– Word is that the Dakota Access Pipeline is already running at capacity. With the potential to transport oil from the tar sands region of Alberta added to what’s already traveling through Iowa from North Dakota, a whole lot of additional capacity may be “needed” to satisfy Big Oil’s insatiable thirst for profits.

– Big Oil controls the White House and the US Congress. The pendulum will inevitably swing back, if not in 2018 then probably in 2020. ETP or one of its competitors would love to lock in as much carrying capacity as possible before control of the federal government passes into the hands of politicians less bought and paid for by the fossil-fuel lobby.

– In several states, larger pipelines are replacing smaller ones. In other places, including eastern Nebraska, second pipelines are proposed for or being added to existing easements.

In addition to the DAPL easement running diagonally across Iowa, there’s the Wood River Crude Oil Pipeline owned by the Koch Brothers. That line runs from Missouri to Minnesota along I-35 and was abandoned in 2013. Koch had planned to build a new pipeline in that easement — increasing capacity from 90,000 to 250,000 barrels per day — but called off the project in 2014. It’s not clear why, but I’d venture a guess it had something to do with ETP beating Koch to the punch with DAPL.

It won’t be easy for ETP, Koch or another company to site and build a new pipeline along either easement. They’d have a fight on their hands for sure. But if SF 2235 / HF 2394 passes into law, Big Oil’s “critical infrastructure” designation will make our work that much harder.

Fighting this legislation is like whack-a-mole. There’s always something new to take a swing at. Check out my segment on the pipeline on this week’s Fallon Forum. Check out the whole program while you’re at it. And if you’re in central Iowa, please support the local business sponsors who help make the program possible.

Here are the time stamps for each segment of this week’s program. Enjoy. These aren’t conversations you’ll find on the big corporate stations. Feedback welcome:

00:00 – Citizen diplomacy in N. Korea,
27:00 – Pipeline legislation meets continued resistance,
38:00 – Mighty Earth pressures Tyson Foods to source locally,
51:00 – Putin’s re-“election,” and
57:30 – Trump hopes to undermine Mueller’s investigation.

Thanks! – Ed