Putting Pipeline Spills in Historical Perspective

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Just yesterday the TransCanada Keystone pipeline spilled 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota. This comes at a crucial time as the Public Service Commission of Nebraska is about to decide on a permit for the proposed expansion of this fossil fuel conduit: the Keystone XL pipeline. Oil pipelines, including Keystone XL itself, are a subject that has been frequently addressed here on The Otter – La Loutre in the last few years. To help put pipeline spills – and their inevitability – in perspective, here are some selected posts:

 

Sean Kheraj – Tracking Canada’s History of Oil Pipeline Spills (November 8, 2013)

Tracking Canada’s History of Oil Pipeline Spills

 

Sean Kheraj – Indigenous Voices and Resistance in Oil Pipeline History: The Dene Tha’ and the Norman Wells Pipeline (November 18, 2016)

Indigenous Voices and Resistance in Oil Pipeline History: The Dene Tha’ and the Norman Wells Pipeline

 

Phil Wight – Down the Line: Exploring the Environmental History of Pipelines (January 23, 2017)

Down the Line: Exploring the Environmental History of Pipelines

 

Jessica Helps – Embedded Wounds in the Histories of Pipelines and Petro-Chemicals (November 10, 2014)

Embedded Wounds in the Histories of Pipelines and Petro-chemicals

 

Daniel Macfarlane: Funneling Controversy: The Keystone XL Pipeline (November 28, 2011)

Funneling Controversy: The Keystone XL Pipeline

 

Daniel Macfarlane – Teaching Media Literacy Through Environmental Disaster: The Kalamazoo River Oil Spill (January 18, 2017)

Teaching Media Literacy Through Environmental Disaster: The Kalamazoo River Oil Spill

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Daniel Macfarlane

Daniel is an Associate Professor in the School of Environment, Geography, and Sustainability at Western Michigan University. He is an editor for The Otter-La loutre and is part of the NiCHE executive. A transnational environmental historian who focuses on Canadian-American border waters and energy issues, particularly in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, Daniel is the author or co-editor of six books on topics such as the St. Lawrence Seaway, border waters, IJC, and Niagara Falls. His book "Natural Allies: Environment, Energy, and the History of US-Canada Relations" was published in summer 2023. His newest book is "The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History" (September 2024). He is now working on a book about Lake Michigan and hopes to eventually write a book on the environmental history of the Great Lakes. Website: https://danielmacfarlane.wordpress.com Twitter: @Danny__Mac__

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