North Dakota Landowners join National Environmentalists in declaring Federal Study of Keystone Pipeline's Environmental Impact

PRESS RELEASE: VALLEY CITY, ND -- North Dakota landowner members of the Dakota Resource
Council (DRC) joined the Natural Resources Defense Council, Plains Justice,
Citizens Opposed to Oil Pollution, Save Our Siouxland Coalition and the Save
Union County Committee in telling the Federal government to go back to the
drawing board on its environmental study of the proposed TransCanada
Keystone Pipeline, which would cross through North Dakota.

The United States Department of State issued the draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) earlier this summer, held North Dakota public input sessions
at Michigan and Lisbon last week, and took written comments through
September 25.

"They're talking about using extremely high pressure to force oil through a
pipe under two of our most scenic rivers, through hundreds of farmers'
fields, next to dozens of shallow aquifers," said Klein. "The study gives
us no reassurance that our water and soil resources will be protected."

The comments submitted note that underground leaks into aquifers are much
more difficult to detect and clean up than leaks into surface water.

"That should have been obvious after Zenergy's huge spill in McKenzie County
last year," said Klein.

The EIS comments submitted by DRC and others also contain these criticisms:

* The pipeline will carry Alberta tar sands oil, whose production and use
results in three times as much carbon dioxide global warming emissions than
that of conventional oil;
* The pipeline will not meet the national interest in reduced reliance on
foreign oil;
* The EIS fails to consider increased pollution from additional refinery
capacity required by this pipeline;
* The EIS fails to consider any alternate sighting for the pipeline;
* The EIS fails to answer questions related to prevention of soil damage
and surface and ground water pollution.

The DRC is also challenging the pipeline's applications for "public
necessity and convenience" and sighting and routing approval before the
North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC is expected to rule
on these applications in October.

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Lynn C. Wolff, Organizer
Dakota Resource Council
118 Broadway, Suite 801
Fargo, ND 58102
Office: 701.298.8685
Fax: 701.298.9044
Office Cell: 701.238.4368
My Cell: 701.235.6733
e-mail: lynn@drcinfo.com
DRC website: http://www.drcinfo.com
WORC website: http://www.worc.org

Ramona Klein, Oriska, ND (701.845.3149)
Susan Casey-Lefkowitx, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C. (202.289.2366)