July, 20 2016, 01:30pm EDT
![Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)](https://assets.rbl.ms/32012690/origin.jpg)
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jane Kleeb, jane@boldnebraska.com, 402-705-3622
Josh Mogerman, jmogerman@nrdc.org, 312-651-7909
Mark Westlund, mark.westlund@sierraclub.org, 510-841-8329
Andy Pearson, andy@mn350.org, 612-600-5951
Mahyar Sorour, mahyar@mpirg.org, 612-627-4035 ext. 306
Marc Fink, mfink@biologicaldiversity.org, 218-464-0539
David Turnbull, david@priceofoil.org, 202-316-3499
Enbridge Ordered to Pay $177 Million Over Disastrous Michigan Tar Sands Spill
WASHINGTON
This morning, the Justice Department and EPA announced a $177 million settlement agreement with Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge over unresolved Clean Water Act claims from a disastrous 2010 tar sands spill that dumped over a million gallons of tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River.
Six years and over a billion dollars in cleanup efforts later, the river and surrounding bodies of water are still not entirely restored. Far from delivering closure for the communities affected by this spill, today's announcement serves as yet another reminder of the devastation that can be caused by unreliable tar sands pipelines.
And, according to a new report released last week, faulty pipelines are far more common than previously thought. The documents, released by Canada's National Energy Board (NEB), show that Enbridge has been using defective parts from overseas suppliers in their pipelines for years, and that they have no way of knowing which of their pipelines contain the defective parts.
This settlement and the revelations from the NEB also highlight the need for the Alberta Clipper tar sands pipeline expansion to go through a full Presidential Permit process, similar to the one that was applied to Keystone XL. The Alberta Clipper pipeline has been allowed to operate at a higher volume without a permanent license or a full environmental review, and continues to threaten the Great Lakes region.
Enbridge's Kalamazoo disaster may be the most high-profile tar sands spill on record, but as long as dirty oil pipelines are allowed to continue threatening land, water, and Tribal and local communities along their routes, it will certainly not be the last.
"The years spent cleaning the Kalamazoo are a cautionary tale for all of the tar sands projects being contemplated across North America," said Anthony Swift, Director of NRDC's Canada Project. "The Kalamazoo River tar sands spill highlights the real costs of this bottom of the barrel oil. Communities being asked to allow tar sands pipelines through their borders, or tankers along their shores, need to understand the industry knows very little about how to address these spills."
"It is time for our government to decommission pipelines that are decades old and pose a huge risk to our water and property rights," said Jane Kleeb, Bold Alliance President. "For too long we allowed Big Oil to write the rules on how pipelines are regulated in our communities and it has left citizens at the mercy of corporations who care only about their bottom line."
"We know when it comes to tar sands pipelines, it's not a question of if they'll spill, but when," said Lena Moffitt, Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. No amount of crude oil being transported near our communities or the Great Lakes is safe and the spill in Kalamazoo serves as a stark reminder of that reality. Enbridge should not be allowed to continue their negligent and dirty business practices, let alone allowed to expand their massive pipelines like Alberta Clipper. As we approach the six-year commemoration of this spill, we know the only way to guarantee the safety of our water and communities is to continue moving towards 100% clean and renewable energy, and leave dirty fuels where they belong -- in the ground."
"Six years have passed with questions unanswered and concerns remain," said Susan Connolly, a local Michigan mother whose children suffered rashes as a result of the Kalamazoo spill. "The fines enacted by the state/EPA do not reflect the finality of the impact of the spill. The fines related to the Clean Water Act should not be in the form of a 'settlement' discussed and agreed to between the agencies and the at fault party. The maximum penalty should be ordered, criminal penalties assessed, and a Michigan Pipeline Trust created. We stand in solidarity in the hopes that the largest inland tar sand spill is never forgotten and lessons are learned."
"The costs of continuing to use fossil fuels are rising, with massive climate, health, clean water, safety and wildlife impacts. On the sixth anniversary of the Kalmazoo spill, we have to realize many of the town's residents' lives were suddenly and permanently changed. It's time to stop building new fossil fuel infrastructure, and realize the savings that will be generated from a rapid shift to clean energy," said Kathy Hollander, a longtime volunteer with MN350.
"This settlement pales in comparison to the huge costs the tar sands spill has placed on the community, but what's even worse is that this figure of $177 million may misrepresent what Enbridge is actually paying," said David Turnbull, Campaigns Director, Oil Change International. "Thanks to corporate tax loopholes, it's possible $110 million of the settlement could be tax deductible, meaning some $38 million could come out of taxpayers' pockets. The EPA and DOJ need to clarify that Enbridge can't write off the costs of its massive oil spill. Oil spills shouldn't be business as usual, and imposing damage to communities, ecosystems and the climate can no longer simply be considered the cost of doing business."
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
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Israeli Lawmakers Vote Against Palestinian Statehood
"In essence, the Israeli Knesset voted to continue to wipe Palestine off the map," said one critic.
Jul 17, 2024
While Israel's troops wage what has been widely decried as genocide on the Gaza Strip, Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing "the establishment of a Palestinian state" west of the Jordan River.
The measure passed Israel's legislature, the Knesset, 68-9. It was spearheaded by Knesset Member Zeev Elkin of New Hope - The United Right, who shared the key messages from the resolution on social media along with a photo of the final tally.
According to Religious Zionism-affiliated Israel National News:
The proposal says, "The Israeli Knesset firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel will pose an existential threat to the state of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and destabilize the region."
"It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a base of radical Islamic terrorism, working in coordination with the axis led by Iran, to eliminate the state of Israel."
"The promotion of the idea of the Palestinian state will be a reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters who will see this as a victory thanks to the massacre of October 7, 2023, and a prelude to the takeover of jihadist Islam in the Middle East," the proposal reads.
Since the Hamas-led October attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed at least 38,794 Palestinians and wounded another 89,364, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Thousands more remain missing and believed dead beneath the rubble of bombed buildings.
In addition to destroying civilian infrastructure across the Hamas-governed coastal enclave, Israel has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, even as people starve and the remaining hospitals operate at a limited capacity.
Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
"What is happening in Gaza is going down as the most documented genocide in history," Riyad Mansour, Palestine's permanent observer at the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. "When will the world denounce the crimes and stop tolerating their reoccurrence?"
The Knesset vote against a two-state solution comes as Netanyahu prepares for a trip to the United States—whose government has provided political and weapons support for Israel's war. The prime minister is supposed to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House next Monday before addressing a joint session of Congress, though the American leader is isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
"The measure was intended as a way to apply pressure on Netanyahu, since he is likely to face opposite pressure from U.S. officials on a hostage deal that could include future discussions of Palestinian sovereignty," The Jerusalem Postreported Wednesday. "Netanyahu himself was not present at the vote."
As the newspaper detailed:
Notably, National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz supported the proposal alongside three other members of his party, which is considered centrist. The three were MKs Michael Biton, Pnina Tameno-Shete, and Chili Tropper.
Gantz said after the vote, "National Unity is committed in any future political scenario, as long as it exists, to preserve the Jewish and democratic identity of the state of Israel, and to stand up for its historical right and security interests."
Members of various other parties—Netanyahu's Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beytenu—also voted in favor of the resolution.
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Biden Contracts Covid Again During Tough Campaign
"President Biden is vaccinated, boosted, and he is experiencing mild symptoms following a positive Covid-19 test," the White House said.
Jul 17, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden has contracted Covid-19 for the second time and is heading to his home in Delaware to self-isolate, the White House said Wednesday evening.
"President Biden is vaccinated, boosted, and he is experiencing mild symptoms following a positive Covid-19 test," the White House said on social media.
A statement attributed to Biden's doctor said that "the president presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorrhea (runny nose) and nonproductive cough, with general malaise."
.@POTUS is back on Air Force One and we’re headed to Delaware pic.twitter.com/SLGfL8pcN1
— Nandita Bose (@nanditab1) July 17, 2024
"He felt okay for his first event of the day, but given that he was not feeling better, point-of-care testing for Covid-19 was conducted, and the results were positive for the Covid-19 virus," the statement continued. "Given this, the president will be self-isolating in accordance with [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance for symptomatic individuals."
The doctor said that Biden—who is 81 years old—is taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Biden previously contracted Covid-19 in July 2022. In what doctors call a "rebound" positive test that affects some people who take Paxlovid, he actually tested positive twice within a two-week period.
The president—who is facing mounting calls to step aside for another Democratic candidate amid concerns over his mental fitness—was scheduled to speak at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas before attending a community event in the important swing state of Nevada.
Biden's positive test comes as the Republican National Convention is happening in Wisconsin, another swing state. Former President Donald Trump this week secured enough delegates to become the GOP nominee and announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.
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Peace Group Faces Death Threats After 'False Accusations' by Lawmaker at RNC
"This is a deliberate attempt to scapegoat and incite hate and retaliatory violence against our organization and views."
Jul 17, 2024
CodePink on Wednesday published a recording of a vicious death threat it received after a GOP congressman's dubious assault allegation against one of the peace group's members resulted in her arrest outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
According to CodePink, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.)—a former Navy SEAL—"falsely accused" Nour Jaghama, the group's Palestine campaign coordinator, of assault after he ran into her from behind. Jaghama was arrested and held for 15 hours in a Milwaukee jail before being released. She was charged with battery against a sitting member of Congress.
"CodePink unequivocally states that no one from our organization assaulted anyone," the group said in a statement. "We attended the RNC to deliver a message of peace and disarmament, adhering strictly to nonviolent protest methods."
Van Orden took to social media Tuesday evening to claim he was "assaulted by what appeared to be a member of the pro-Hamas group CodePink" in "an incident of political violence."
"Republicans have been intimidated and targeted for years including the attempted assassination of [former President Donald] Trump and we will no longer stand by and allow lawlessness," the congressman added.
Van Orden has a history of aggressive behavior toward others, including profanity-laced tirades against a fellow congressman and a group of teenage Senate pages, and threatening a librarian over a book about gay rabbits.
Hours after Van Orden's post, CodePink received the following message:
The next Palestinian protest in the street, I'm going to get my semi-truck and run over you fucking faggots and make road pancake out of you, you fucking cunt. I hope you all die, bitch.
"Mere days after a high-profile assassination attempt, [Van Orden] used the same words to describe our peace organization that the nation is using to describe the person who attempted to kill Donald Trump," CodePink said in a statement. "This is a deliberate attempt to scapegoat and incite hate and retaliatory violence against our organization and views. In a heated political moment where people all over the United States are called to unite, Van Orden used the moment to incite hate against nonviolent activists."
CodePink called Van Orden's "pro-Hamas" slur "an obvious example of the racial profiling and anti-Palestinian hatred that has been stoked in this country since October 7."
"Hateful messaging and false accusations against Palestinians led to the killing of Wadea Al Fayoume, a 6-year-old boy in Illinois, the shooting of three Palestinian young men in Vermont, and the attempted drowning of a Palestinian child in Texas," the group added. "This incident is another incitement of violence against Palestinians. The very same rhetoric that leads our elected officials to disregard Palestinian life in Gaza is the rhetoric they use to disregard Palestinian life at home."
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