Keystone XL Would Be Highly Vulnerable To Terrorist Attacks Which Could Affect Millions Of Americans

Retired Navy SEAL Says Keystone XL Would Be Highly Vulnerable To Attacks
Posted: 06/04/2014 4:55 pm EDT

WASHINGTON – If constructed, the Keystone XL pipeline would be highly vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to a paper that an environmental group released Wednesday.

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It would "take a limited number of terrorists, small amount of explosives, some basic hand tools" to conduct "a coordinated attack along just a few key nodes along that pipeline in the span of just really minutes," Cooper said in an interview. In his worst-case scenario, that could dump 8 million gallons of oil into waterways, farmlands, and communities along the pipeline route.

"That's concerning," Cooper said. "That's an Exxon Valdez-level oil spill right in the middle of America."

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In his analysis, Cooper gamed out likely scenarios at a location in Nebraska, along the route of the existing Keystone pipeline (known as Keystone 1). A spill there, he said, would threatened drinking water and arable land that millions of Americans rely on every day. He also said he found that there was little security at sites along the route.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/04/keystone-xl-attacks_n_5447374.html