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Comment Re:Translation... (Score 1) 784

Here's my problems:
1) I don't find a big oil conspiracy any more convincing than a big science conspiracy.
2) The warming science may be settled, but there is a flaw in the science. It fundamentally cannot be tested. All of these predictions are based on models that are based on research and science, but we don't have a model that has actually produced predictive forecasting. Nor do I think we will ever be able to. The temperature fluctuations on the planet are based on tons of variables and human influence is a part of it, but how much a part changes depending on the other variables.
3) The part that really gets me is all the talk of horrible catastrophes. Humans have adapted to many changes and migrations throughout history. Now we are saying that a 10' ocean rise over 1000 years will be so horrible we must make changes today that will cause demonstrable harm. Also, where are the positives of global warming? It doesn't seem very scientific to research all this ocean depth/acidification/desertification/severe storms/whatever other disasters will happen if the planet gets warmer and leave out potential new farmland, longer growing seasons, increased crop production, new livable areas. It seems to me looking at a globe that there is far more landmass that can't sustain human settlement because it is too cold than there is because it's too hot.
4) 1000 years ago, there were little to no permanent human settlements on the coasts in North and South America. Today the population along the coasts in just the US is probably comparable to the world human population 1000 years ago. (actually I looked it up, looks like around 125 million in the US live in a coastal county and the estimated world population in the year 1000 was around 300 million, but still interesting point)

Comment Re:Well, since it's inevtiable (Score 1) 784

Citation needed... In the US only 39% live in a county that borders an ocean. Of course, even the cover picture of this article shows people living on a coast that wouldn't be detrimentally affected by a 10' rise in sea level. Annnnnd, I doubt any of those structures will still be around in 1000 years. Of course that's America for you. Now Europe, those buildings probably will be around for another 1000 years. But I think the people will slowly move away as the coast move inland.

Comment Re:Environmentalists eat your heart out. (Score 2) 211

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...

North Dakota has a total of 80MBBL/day refining capacity. Louisiana has 3,310MBBL/day capacity. Texas also has a huge amount. Oh you want to build a new refinery? Would that be easier or harder than approval for a new pipeline? A new refinery hasn't been built in the US since 1976.

Comment Re:Environmentalists eat your heart out. (Score 4, Insightful) 211

Never inspecting things is not allowed actually... http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/co...

Spill detection is present on every pipeline, it's just a matter of how sensitive it is. It is in a pipeline's best interest to keep product in the pipe as a leak is lost product even if you didn't have to worry about disasters and cleanup.

Airplanes have the same problem as pipelines. A lot of them were made a long time ago, and people have been trying to string them along past their design lifespans. New pipelines are far safer than old pipelines. Trying to block construction or replacement of pipelines is counter to making pipeline disasters less likely.

Comment Re:Environmentalists eat your heart out. (Score 1) 211

Your linked article is by a guest contributor who doesn't actually debunk any of the data.

Under Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration requirements, rail operators must report all spills. Pipelines are only required to report those over five gallons.

It’s important to note that most rail spills are small and occur during the filling of tank cars. These spills, while reported, are cleaned up immediately. Pipeline spills more often are catastrophic events. When a pipeline ruptures, a tremendous amount of oil is released, sometimes in a remote or hard-to-access area.

So the argument is that most pipeline spills are catastrophic, but they don't count the non-catastrophic ones? Many of the pipeline related spills are also small spills that are cleaned up immediately at pipeline stations.

Even the units of measurement employed by the two industries betray the immense difference in scale between the two modes. For rail, crude oil is typically measured in gallons, while pipelines measure it in barrels. It takes 42 gallons of oil to equal one barrel.

Except the article that he is debunking uses units of ton-miles, and uses it consistently between transportation methods. The fact that pipelines use barrels and rail cars gallons has nothing to do with the actual amount of releases.

I'm not denying that we need both rail and pipelines to move crude. But you can't deny that pipelines are safer and that a new pipeline will reduce the demand for rail transportation.

Comment Re:Environmentalists eat your heart out. (Score 1) 211

http://www.manhattan-institute...

Here's a hint, the vast majority of pipelines are protected for hundreds of miles. They are buried underground! Trains travel above the ground where they are subject to weather, traffic, etc. Also, pipeline releases are easier to recover and clean up than rail accidents. The data doesn't lie.

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