Another Day, Another Fred Upton Oil Spill In Southwest Michigan

A gas pipeline owned by Trans Canada, the Keystone XL villains, and running from Canada to Texas ruptured... but not in Canada nor in Texas. The victims were in Michigan, in Berrien County, ironically, the second most populous county in MI-06, the home district of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, "drill, baby, drill" zombie Fred Upton. The county leans Republican. Upton wins there (56% in 2012) and so did Romney (53%) and failed GOP senate candidate Pete Hoekstra (50%). Upton has been one of the leading figures in the country pushing a Big OIl and Gas agenda that includes more dangerous pipelines, tax breaks, loopholes galore and everything their lawyers and lobbyists come up with to boost profits at the expense of consumers. Since 1990, Upton has taken $646,950 from Big Oil; in 2012 alone they gave him $208,300 and so far this year, he's scooped up $177,450. They like Upton. He bottles up environmental studies and green energy bills in his committee and lets their lobbyists have final say over every bill that passes out of the committee.

That works well for Big Oil… but not so well for ordinary residents of his own southwest Michigan district, like the 500 people forced out of their homes because of the latest oil pipeline explosion this week.

Vic Rogers, a farmer that lives just a quarter mile from where the blast occurred, says he heard a loud noise around 2 a.m. and came outside to see a geyser of mud and dirt 200 feet in the area.

The area around the pipeline is now swampy.

Rogers says Trans Canada, the company that owns the pipeline, has advised him that his three acres of potatoes around the explosion may be contaminated and should not be harvested.

Rogers says he's lived on this farm his entire life and he recalls as a child similar pipeline explosion some 40 years ago, when the company was putting in a second gas line.

He says back then the walls of his home were cracked.

A representative from Trans Canada says the line that broke was a large main, 24 to 30 inches in diameter.

The spokesperson says soon, after the system indicated a drop in pressure, the automatic valves started to shut both sides of the line.

The company does not know what caused the rupture and they say a thorough investigation will be conducted. Results could take weeks if not months.

In the meantime, people are worried about clean-up and about the quality of the water and soil.

1 p.m. UPDATE: The Berrien Co. Sheriff's Office tells WSBT that the evacuation order is still in place, pending an all-clear on air quality checks.

How many counties in Michigan have to be polluted by oil spills before voters in MI-06 throw Upton out? In 2010 the congressman who the L.A. Times dubbed the "biggest threat to planet Earth on planet Earth" saw another catastrophic oil spill from the industry that finances his political career-- this one in Calhoun county. In July of 2010 another oil pipeline broke and polluted the Kalamazoo River, the largest inland oil spill (over a million gallons) and one of the most expensive spills, not just in Michigan, but anywhere in America. Like the Keystone XL Pipeline being pushed so aggressively by Upton and his right-wing, bought-off allies, this pipeline also carried highly toxic bitumen, heavy Canadian oil sands, that sank to the bottom of the river.

The Canadian company, which was fined $3.7 million for negligence, estimated the cleanup costs could go as high as $5 million and take weeks. It's been years and the costs are $765 million. Cleanup efforts were still being conducted at the end of 2013. Watch this short video about the oil company coverup.

Blue America has endorsed Paul Clements, the progressive Democrat running against Upton this year. Steve Israel and the DCCC are, once again, working hard to protect Upton is a very tight swing district. Upton would have virtually no chance to be reelected without the diktat from Israel that the DCCC not help Clements. Israel does not target GOP leaders of committee chairmen (in return for his own immunity) and he does not target fellow frat brothers in his ridiculous Center Aisle Caucus (like Upton). That pretty much explains why the Republicans will keep control of the House until Pelosi fires Israel. That won't happen this cycle. If you'd like to help replace Fred Upton with Paul Clements, you can contribute directly to Paul's campaign here. You're never hear anything remotely like this from Fred Upton… It's Paul's statements on Climate Change and the environment:

Climate change is the greatest threat to Michigan and to the world in the 21st century. We need to keep global warming under two degrees Celsius, but this takes a strong international agreement limiting greenhouse gas emissions in each country. Such an agreement can only be reached with American leadership.

Recently Michigan has seen failures of apple and cherry crops, Lake Michigan at historic lows, some of the hottest and driest summers in our history, and increased flooding from stronger storms and heavier rainfall. These and other influences from climate change are likely to get worse. With runaway climate change we could lose half our species of plants, trees, animals and birds. West Michigan could have a climate similar to West Texas by the end of the century, with summers seven degrees Fahrenheit hotter than today. But around the world it would be even more disastrous. Runaway climate change is likely to cause droughts and floods that drive millions from their homes, collapsing governments, and wars over water and other resources.

The technology exists to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius. Southwest Michigan must lead in manufacturing based on this technology. America must take the lead to negotiate an international agreement, address the harms from climate change, and develop the technologies for a clean energy future.

…In America and around the world we are “mining” natural resources such as water supplies, fisheries, and forests. We are withdrawing more each year than nature regenerates. Also, polluters and others who harm the environment usually do not pay the cost of their pollution.

We should move toward full cost accounting, taxing polluters for environmental harms. For example, coal-based power plants should be taxed for the health effects from their pollution, and nuclear energy, oil and natural gas companies should be held liable for accidents and other harms they may cause.

Michigan is blessed with great lakes, forests, rivers and wildlife. It is our responsibility to sustain these blessings for future generations.