We have already talked about the absolute insanity and global warming death that is the Canadian tar sand oil (here here here and here)…but it would seem that our government is a pack of raving morons (honestly I can’t think of any other reason, I mean it couldn’t be because they are in the pockets of large oil companies could it?) because they have just approved a freaking giant pipeline to ship dirty (well more dirty than normal oil which is pretty bad in it’s own right) Canadian tar sand oil to the hungry cars of the United States.

Luckily a few people seem to have retained some sense of sanity because they are suing the federal government.

I just wanted to give you a heads up that today Sierra Club and a coalition of environmental groups filed suit over the Department of State’s decision to approve a pipeline carrying dirty tar sands oil from Canada to the United States.

On August 20, the Department of State approved Enbridge Energy’s Alberta Clipper Project, a pipeline that will stretch from northern Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin and pump 450,000 barrels per day of tar sands crude–the dirtiest form of oil on earth. We’re very disappointed by this decision. More proposed pipelines, like TransCanada’s Keystone XL project, are now seeking similar permits, and Secretary Clinton still has a chance to prevent us from getting locked into a dirty energy infrastructure for years to come.

Early in his Administration, President Obama stated, “We can let climate chance continue to go unchecked, or we can help to stop it.” Clearly, approval of the Alberta Clipper pipeline by the Department of State does not fit into his vision of a clean energy economy.

Here’s a little more background:
-The Alberta Clipper is proposed to run through Chippewa National Forest and Leech Lake tribal lands, negatively affecting 200 water bodies, 1,200 acres of upland forested lands, 650 acres of open lands, and 1,300 acres of wetlands. More information on tar sands oil impacts–along with photos–can be found here: http://www.dirtyoilsands.org
-A full life-cycle analysis of Canadian tar sands oil shows that it emits three times the amount of carbon than conventional crude. This fuel has the capacity to destroy Canada’s Boreal Forest, ruin natural habitats, and heavily contribute to increasing air, water, and global warming pollution. What’s worse is that there is little data available on the impact of future potential leaks and spills on migratory birds and water pollution.

Help the Sierra Club and others stop this horrible pipeline visit http://www.dirtyoilsands.org and take action now to stop this threat to our future well being.