The Senate is once again deadlocked over the Keystone pipeline. The latest from Washington is that Republican leaders are pushing for a vote to authorize the pipeline that would bring controversial tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile Democrat leaders say they won’t consider that bill unless another Democrat-sponsored energy efficiency bill is also put up for a vote.

 
Oil tanks on South Portland’s waterfront, which has become one of the battlegrounds over controversial tar sands oil from Canada. Melissa Wood photo 

But while Washington wrangles, the tar sands battle is also being fought on the local level. In Albany, N.Y., a plan to expand port operations by adding boilers to heat up the crude sands oil — making it less viscous and easier to ship by rail or barge — were put on hold after citizens raised concerns about potential dangers to the environment as well as public health and safety.

In South Portland, Maine, the City Council is considering a proposal that bars tar sands from being loaded onto vessels or expanding port facilities for that purpose. The city is the first stop of the Portland Pipeline running crude oil up to Montreal. Citizens here and along the pipeline in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont worry that it could change direction with tar sand oil extracted from the Canadian prairies making its way to South Portland’s waterfront.

(They have good reason to worry since in March the National Energy Board of Canada approved reversing the direction of its pipeline from Montreal to Sarnia, Ontario, bringing tar sands and other crude oil east.)

The South Portland proposal is a reworking of a waterfront protection ordinance that was narrowly voted down last November. Opponents of that ordinance worried it would hurt the local economy by restricting growth on the waterfront. Though the most recent plan is restricted to crude oil, there are still those here who worry it poses a similar threat to development. The council is expected to vote on the matter on July 7.

While Keystone XL has become the national symbol of the tar sands battle, I think it will continue to play out on a local level. Communities worried about their own health and safety will mobilize. Some of those communities will find ways to craft ordinances that protect their citizens from the “dirtiest of fuels” while also preserving their ports’ economic viability. Those efforts should be paid attention to and emulated.