SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Hedge fund billionaire and staunch opponent of Keystone XL Tom Steyer has hired a retired Navy SEAL chief to conduct a "threat assessment" of the proposed northern leg of TransCanada's tar sands pipeline.
Released Wednesday, the report was conducted by Dave Cooper, a former Booz Allen Hamilton consultant and retired Command Master Chief of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known to most as the infamous SEAL Team 6 that killed Osama bin Laden. Cooper was officially commissioned by NextGen Climate, the environmental group led by Steyer.
In his assessment, Cooper--who spent nearly 10 years determining similar threats and targets in Iraq and Afghanistan--concludes that the tar sands pipeline would be an easy terror target and that such an attack would "wreak havoc" on the landscape it is set to pass through.
In what Cooper deems "the most likely scenario," a single attack could result in the spill of 1.2 million gallons of "highly toxic" tar sands dilbit. A coordinated attack at multiple locations could trigger the "catastrophic spill" of 7.24 million gallons. And, in the most damaging scenario, a coordinated attack across dozens of miles of pipeline with explosions at several pump stations could result in 60 percent of the oil in those sections to spill.
Using TransCanada's own estimates, Cooper calculated that it would take the pipeline company eleven and a half minutes to stop the flow in the event of such an attack.
According to Climate Progress's reporting on the assessment,
[Cooper] conducted a "red cell scenario" analysis of a domestic pipeline's security vulnerabilities, accessing only the information available to someone with an internet connection and no inside knowledge from TransCanada or government. This involved a site visit to one existing pipeline -- Keystone 1 -- to ascertain how easy it would be for someone to gain access to a completed Keystone XL pipeline. This was done as a "cold shot," meaning a mock penetration of a target with no practice or notification and very little planning. Cooper just went to the small town of Scranton, Nebraska and walked up to the pipeline.
He wrote that he was able to "stand at a Keystone 1 pump station for over 15 minutes snapping photos," and "was not approached, questioned, or ever noticed."
The report recommends that the government conduct a security assessment before permitting the construction of any pipeline. It concludes, "No pipeline, no matter how small, can ever be completely secured," adding, "this is particularly true for a pipeline the size of Keystone XL."
_____________________
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Hedge fund billionaire and staunch opponent of Keystone XL Tom Steyer has hired a retired Navy SEAL chief to conduct a "threat assessment" of the proposed northern leg of TransCanada's tar sands pipeline.
Released Wednesday, the report was conducted by Dave Cooper, a former Booz Allen Hamilton consultant and retired Command Master Chief of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known to most as the infamous SEAL Team 6 that killed Osama bin Laden. Cooper was officially commissioned by NextGen Climate, the environmental group led by Steyer.
In his assessment, Cooper--who spent nearly 10 years determining similar threats and targets in Iraq and Afghanistan--concludes that the tar sands pipeline would be an easy terror target and that such an attack would "wreak havoc" on the landscape it is set to pass through.
In what Cooper deems "the most likely scenario," a single attack could result in the spill of 1.2 million gallons of "highly toxic" tar sands dilbit. A coordinated attack at multiple locations could trigger the "catastrophic spill" of 7.24 million gallons. And, in the most damaging scenario, a coordinated attack across dozens of miles of pipeline with explosions at several pump stations could result in 60 percent of the oil in those sections to spill.
Using TransCanada's own estimates, Cooper calculated that it would take the pipeline company eleven and a half minutes to stop the flow in the event of such an attack.
According to Climate Progress's reporting on the assessment,
[Cooper] conducted a "red cell scenario" analysis of a domestic pipeline's security vulnerabilities, accessing only the information available to someone with an internet connection and no inside knowledge from TransCanada or government. This involved a site visit to one existing pipeline -- Keystone 1 -- to ascertain how easy it would be for someone to gain access to a completed Keystone XL pipeline. This was done as a "cold shot," meaning a mock penetration of a target with no practice or notification and very little planning. Cooper just went to the small town of Scranton, Nebraska and walked up to the pipeline.
He wrote that he was able to "stand at a Keystone 1 pump station for over 15 minutes snapping photos," and "was not approached, questioned, or ever noticed."
The report recommends that the government conduct a security assessment before permitting the construction of any pipeline. It concludes, "No pipeline, no matter how small, can ever be completely secured," adding, "this is particularly true for a pipeline the size of Keystone XL."
_____________________
Hedge fund billionaire and staunch opponent of Keystone XL Tom Steyer has hired a retired Navy SEAL chief to conduct a "threat assessment" of the proposed northern leg of TransCanada's tar sands pipeline.
Released Wednesday, the report was conducted by Dave Cooper, a former Booz Allen Hamilton consultant and retired Command Master Chief of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known to most as the infamous SEAL Team 6 that killed Osama bin Laden. Cooper was officially commissioned by NextGen Climate, the environmental group led by Steyer.
In his assessment, Cooper--who spent nearly 10 years determining similar threats and targets in Iraq and Afghanistan--concludes that the tar sands pipeline would be an easy terror target and that such an attack would "wreak havoc" on the landscape it is set to pass through.
In what Cooper deems "the most likely scenario," a single attack could result in the spill of 1.2 million gallons of "highly toxic" tar sands dilbit. A coordinated attack at multiple locations could trigger the "catastrophic spill" of 7.24 million gallons. And, in the most damaging scenario, a coordinated attack across dozens of miles of pipeline with explosions at several pump stations could result in 60 percent of the oil in those sections to spill.
Using TransCanada's own estimates, Cooper calculated that it would take the pipeline company eleven and a half minutes to stop the flow in the event of such an attack.
According to Climate Progress's reporting on the assessment,
[Cooper] conducted a "red cell scenario" analysis of a domestic pipeline's security vulnerabilities, accessing only the information available to someone with an internet connection and no inside knowledge from TransCanada or government. This involved a site visit to one existing pipeline -- Keystone 1 -- to ascertain how easy it would be for someone to gain access to a completed Keystone XL pipeline. This was done as a "cold shot," meaning a mock penetration of a target with no practice or notification and very little planning. Cooper just went to the small town of Scranton, Nebraska and walked up to the pipeline.
He wrote that he was able to "stand at a Keystone 1 pump station for over 15 minutes snapping photos," and "was not approached, questioned, or ever noticed."
The report recommends that the government conduct a security assessment before permitting the construction of any pipeline. It concludes, "No pipeline, no matter how small, can ever be completely secured," adding, "this is particularly true for a pipeline the size of Keystone XL."
_____________________