Farm Lands Not Tar Sands

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Risky business: Worried about oil and the environment? You should be. Join Bold Nebraska’s Jane Kleeb, former state Rep. Spencer Black and landowner Mark Borchardt for a discussion of the dangers posed by tar sands pipelines, especially in light of Enbridge’s proposed pipeline expansion in Wisconsin. Kleeb is known for putting together a coalition of ranchers, tribal members and environmentalists to help stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Presented by 350 Madison and the Sierra Club.

350 Madison and the Sierra Club are bringing Jane Kleeb, leader of Bold Nebraska, to Madison next week. She'll be speaking at the Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St., on Wednesday, April 13. Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the event runs 6:30-8:00. She'll be joined by former State Rep. Spencer Black and landowner Mark Borchardt.

Tickets are free but required - available at http://tinyurl.com/h2wf9f3.

press release: Jane Kleeb, leader of the group Bold Nebraska, will address Midwest tar sands pipeline issues at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on April 13. Former State Representative Spencer Black and landowner Mark Borchardt will also speak.

Kleeb played a crucial role in stopping the Keystone XL pipeline, which was rejected by President Obama last November. The pipeline, proposed by Canadian company TransCanada, would have transported 830,000 barrels a day of tar sands oil from the boreal forests of Alberta to the Gulf Coast.

Kleeb built a diverse coalition of ranchers, tribal members, environmentalists, and others to successfully push President Obama to reject the pipeline. This involved highlighting the risks to rural property owners whose land would have been crossed by the pipeline, including the risks to Nebraska’s air and water from a tar sands spill. Now, Kleeb is bringing her campaign to Wisconsin. The timing could not be better: Wisconsin already has the Line 61 pipeline, which cuts through the heart of the state. Enbridge, the Canadian company that owns Line 61, is now proposing to add another pipeline through Wisconsin, variously called the Line 61 “twin” or Line 66. Together, the two pipelines could transport three times as much oil as the failed Keystone project would have carried.

Former Representative Spencer Black will discuss the risks these pipelines pose for Wisconsin. The pipelines cross some of Wisconsin’s most important waterways, including the St. Croix River, the Wisconsin River, and the Rock River. Moreover, expanding tar sands oil pipelines will exacerbate climate change at a time when we need to be moving quickly toward a clean energy economy.

The Enbridge expansion would require widening the existing pipeline corridor. Recent law changes in Wisconsin have made it easier for pipeline companies to take land through eminent domain. Mark Borchardt will speak to how Wisconsin landowners are coming together to fight Enbridge’s expansion. Nebraska’s experience proved that when a group of property owners refuse to let a foreign corporation seize land that has been in their families for generations, they can effectively block the expansion of pipelines.