Keystone XL Pipeline Environmental Impact

Pipeline under construction in Alberta, Canada

rblood/Flickr

Leaks and the pipeline

Tar sands oil is thicker, more acidic, and more corrosive than lighter conventional crude, and this ups the likelihood that a pipeline carrying it will leak. Indeed, one study found that between 2007 and 2010, pipelines moving tar sands oil in Midwestern states spilled three times more per mile than the U.S. national average for pipelines carrying conventional crude. Since it first went into operation in 2010, TC Energy’s original Keystone Pipeline System has leaked more than a dozen times; one incident in North Dakota sent a 60-foot, 21,000-gallon geyser of tar sands oil spewing into the air. Most recently, on October 31, 2019, the Keystone tar sands pipeline was temporarily shut down after a spill in North Dakota of reportedly more than 378,000 gallons. And the risk that Keystone XL will spill has only been heightened: A study published in early 2020, co-authored by TC Energy’s own scientists, found that the anti-corrosion coating on pipes for the project is defective from being stored outside and exposed to the elements for the last decade.

.Complicating matters, leaks can be difficult to detect. And when tar sands oil does spill, it’s more difficult to clean up than conventional crude because it immediately sinks to the bottom of the waterway. People and wildlife coming into contact with tar sands oil are exposed to toxic chemicals, and rivers and wetland environments are at particular risk from a spill. (For evidence, recall the 2010 tar sands oil spill in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a disaster that cost Enbridge more than a billion dollars in cleanup fees and took six years to settle in court.) Keystone XL would cross agriculturally important and environmentally sensitive areas, including hundreds of rivers, streams, aquifers, and water bodies. One is Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, which provides drinking water for millions as well as 30 percent of America’s irrigation water. A spill would be devastating to the farms, ranches, and communities that depend on these crucial ecosystems.

What is tar sands oil?

The tar sands industry is just as hard on the cradle of its business. Its mines are a blight on Canada’s boreal, where operations dig up and flatten forests to access the oil below, destroying wildlife habitat and one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. They deplete and pollute freshwater resources, create massive ponds of toxic waste, and threaten the health and livelihood of the First Nations people who live near them. Refining the sticky black gunk produces piles of petroleum coke, a hazardous, coal-like by-product. What’s more, the whole process of getting the oil out and making it usable creates three to four times the carbon pollution of conventional crude extraction and processing. “This isn’t your grandfather’s typical oil,” says Anthony Swift, director of NRDC’s Canada project. “It’s nasty stuff.”

Keystone XL and climate change

A fully realized Keystone XL would lead to more mining of that “nasty stuff” by accelerating the pace at which it’s produced and transported. (Indeed, Keystone XL was viewed as a necessary ingredient in the oil industry’s plans to triple tar sands production by 2030.) 

for the complete article go to nrdc.org/stories/what-keystone-pipeline

Source: NRDC.org

omg … words matter! Rudy and Trump seem to be responsible for misinformation misguided

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On February 8 of that year, a Cheyenne delegation, headed by Chief Black Kettle, along with some Arapahoe leaders, accepted a new settlement with the Federal government. The Native Americans ceded most of their land but secured a 600-square mile reservation and annuity payments. The delegation reasoned that continued hostilities would jeopardize their bargaining power. In the decentralized political world of the tribes, Black Kettle and his fellow delegates represented only part of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes. Many did not accept this new agreement, called the Treaty of Fort Wise.

for the complete article: history.com

1. A smaller cost-of-living adjustment

Each year, Social Security recipients are entitled to a cost-of-living adjustment or COLA.

This serves as a raise for Social Security beneficiaries, many of whom rely on their monthly checks as their primary source of income.

The purpose of COLAs is to allow seniors to retain their buying power in the face of inflation (rising prices of goods and services)

However, due to low inflation in recent years, COLAs increases have been very small.

For example, in 2020, the COLA increase was 1.6%.

Social Security benefits will see a Cost of Living Adjustment of 1.3% in 2021. On Average, that equals an additional $20 a month.

This will increase the average Social Security retirement benefits check from $1,523 to $1,543.

Many retirees won’t see the impact of this increase in their pockets, however.

That’s because this $20 a month increase will likely be offset in part by higher Medicare premiums and deductibles in 2021.

For reference, here are the COLA increases over the last 10 years:

Social Security COLA History

Here’s a look at COLA increases since 2011.

2020: 1.6%

2019: 2.8%

2018: 2%

2017: 0.3%

2016: No increase.

2015: 1.7%

2014: 1.5%

2013: 1.7%

2012: 1.7%

2011: 3.6%

As you can see, the COLA increases have been stingy, especially when one considers the rising cost of healthcare, including Medicare.

Medicare costs to rise

Medicare cost increases are one of the biggest financial burdens on seniors. 2021 will be no different.

Here’s how much Medicare costs will increase in 2021:

• The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B will be $148.50, up from $144.60 in 2020.
• The annual deductible for Medicare Part B will be $203 — a $5 increase.
• The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible will be $1,484 — a $76 increase.

2. The earnings limit for working retirees will go up

If you claim Social Security retirement benefits before reaching your full retirement age (FRA) and also continue working, continue reading.

As you are probably aware, the Social Security Administration will withhold some of your benefits if your income exceeds “the earnings limit”.

In 2021, the Social Security earnings limit increases to the following:

• From $18,240 to $18,960 if you will reach full retirement age after 2021
• From $48,600 to $50,520 if you will reach full retirement age in 2021
• No limit on earnings if you are full retirement age or older for the entire year.

3. Earnings subject to Social Security tax will increase

The maximum amount of a worker’s income that is subject to Social Security payroll taxes will rise from $137,700 in 2020 to $142,800 in 2021.

That means that you will pay Social Security taxes on any income you make up $142,800 in 2021.

However, any additional income you earn beyond the $142,800 will not be subject to Social Security payroll taxes.

Remember that there is no earnings limit on Medicare taxes.

This means every dollar of earned income is subject to Medicare tax.

Finally, the Social Security payroll tax rate will remain the same in 2021.

This means employees pay 6.2% and employers pay another 6.2%, for a total of 12.4% for the self-employed.

Self-employed individuals pay the entire 12.4% in Social Security taxes.

4. Lifetime work credits Amount Go Up

How much you have to earn per quarter to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits will go up.

To receive Social Security retirement benefits, most people need to accumulate at least 40 ‘credits’ during their working lifetime.

Currently, you can earn up to four credits per year if you work and pay Social Security taxes.

In 2021, the minimum about you have to earn a year to get the four credits for that year was $1470, an increase of $60 from 2020.

5. The Full Retirement Age will go up

As has been happening in recent years, the Full Retirement Age (FRA) for Social Security benefits is going up again.

In 2021, the full retirement age going higher by two months, to 66 years and 10 months for those born in 1959.

The full retirement age is the age when you are entitled to 100 percent of your Social Security benefits.

If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your full retirement age is 66.

However, if you were born in 1955, it is 66 and 2 months.

For those born between 1956 and 1959, it gradually increases, and for those born in 1960 or later, it is 67.

The earliest a recipient can start collecting Social Security retirement benefits is age 62.

It is important to note that seniors who claim Social Security before their full retirement age receive reduced payments.

For example, if you turn 62 and start receiving Social Security benefits in 2021, your monthly benefits will be 29.17% less than you will receive at your FRA.

socialsecurityportal.com