Many of our Senate and Congressional members supported President Obama on reducing the payroll tax to help many Americans, only if the president gives his support for this most ill-conceived, untested tar sand oil Keystone XL Pipeline, and with the added audacity asked for his support within 60 days.

The pipeline is Chinese driven and funded, which will transport Canadian Tar Sand Oil, (a pipeline for tar sands oil has never crossed the U.S. before), traveling across the Midwest of the U.S. to Gulf Coast ports and refineries, which in most cases are outdated and require maintenance due to their 25 years in service, and probably not even designed to handle this type of tar sand oil, and then ironically, the refined oil will probably be shipped off to China!

Now my question is where in China exactly are their constituents, and why this support for China and a reluctance of support to help Americans by reducing their payroll taxes? I am confused who pays the wages of these Senators and Congressman and where are they from?

This pipeline that these politicians propose has no successful history of transporting tar sand crude oil, because of this there are no safety standards or specifications, as stated by the Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration.

The abrasiveness and corrosiveness, pressure, and temperature of this particular tar sand oil has not been tested to the satisfaction of the Pipeline Safety Trust.

Both have given this testimony at the House Energy and Power Subcommittee hearings on June 16, 2011. Maybe this testimony wasn’t loud enough or these Senators and Congressman know something that the experts do not.

The Canadian tar sand oil is originally like bitumen and will need to be thinned with solvents so it can be easily pumped, this solvent may be an added hazard when there is a spill, and believe me I have been there, and in the oil fields for 33 years, and there will be spills.

The Keystone XL Pipeline plans to cross the pristine Ogallala Aquifer, which is the prime source of water to about 11 States. In some places this aquifer water table is only 5 feet below ground.

Are these Senators and Congressman ready to contaminate this major water supply, for a pipe line carrying Canadian tar sand crude oil, that will probably end up in China?

Why are these Senators and Congressman so determined to rush their support, within 60 days, for this Chinese sponsored TransCanada Corporation’s Keystone XL Pipeline with so many unanswered questions about the integrity and safety in building this pipeline?

The logical and rational solution is to build a tailor made refinery for this unique tar sand crude oil in Canada near the tar sand recovery source along the coast for shorter geographically shipping distances to China.

The saved expense from this $7 billion pipeline would pay for the new refinery. The extraction of this Canadian tar sand crude oil emits 17 percent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere then conventional crude recovery.

With the saved cost of a shorter shipping distances the tar sand oil recovery process could now afford to install carbon dioxide scrubbers and reduce the CO2 emissions significantly.

Another question I have for our Senators and Congressional members is when are they going to start a rational and realistic long term National Energy Policy that encompasses sustainable and renewable energy sources.

Many geologists in the petroleum industry have said that worldwide reserves have peaked, some say as that it has happened as early as 2000, and are now on a rapid decline.

What is being done to conserve our hydrocarbon use and reduce our carbon dioxide emissions?

Why haven’t we adopted a clean coal policy for our power plants, or efficiency legislation that would require all car manufacturers to produce engines that use a minimum of 30 mile per gallon for all vehicles (yes light trucks included), increase our technological spending on sustainable and renewable energy, so these same Senators and Congressman can lead our nation proudly into a more rational and sustainable energy powered future?

Richard Bodlaender, Kirkland