An article in today’s Portland Press Herald examines how the battle between the Portland Pipe Line Corp. and environmentalists trying to prevent the company from carrying so-called tar sands oil through the Sebago Lake watershed has moved to local boards along the pipeline.
The owner of the Portland-to-Montreal pipeline hasn’t come forward with plans to start transporting the heavy form of petroleum from Canada, but admits that it might want to in the future.
Oil executives say tar sands oil is no more likely to spill than what now runs through the pipeline and the company, which touts its good safety record, is well-prepared to deal with spills.
Activists, who say tar sands oil is more harmful to the environment than the crude oil that currently runs through the pipeline, are trying to get the attention of the Department of State, and ultimately President Obama, to tighten regulations over a potential project. (READ MORE)