In this Jan. 16, 2015 photo, trees dominate a field through which the Keystone XL pipeline is planned to run, near Bradshaw, Neb. Officials with TransCanada said Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, they've filed paperwork in nine counties to acquire access to land that's needed for the construction and operation of the pipeline.Nati Harnik/The Associated Press
Keystone route was no blunder
Re: Keystone blunder caused by arrogance (Jan. 17): Selecting appropriate routes for pipeline siting is some of the most complex and detailed work we engage in. Our goal when building pipelines is to always minimize the amount of environmental disturbance while creating the most efficient route.
The State Department studied 15 major route alternatives in our application. They included one potential alternative route in Nebraska that would have avoided the entire Sand Hills region and Ogallala aquifer and six alternatives that would have reduced pipeline mileage crossing the Sand Hills or the aquifer.
The State Department determined the proposed route was the preferred route because, "these alternatives would be longer than the proposed route and would disturb more land and cross more water bodies than the proposed route."
Building pipelines in the safest, most environmentally responsible manner is the way we approach our business and we are incredibly proud of that.
Mark Cooper, TransCanada spokesman
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Support is a two-way street
Re Keystone XL clears key hurdles but White House stands in way (Jan. 10): Canada is the most faithful neighbour the U.S. has, both in trade and support. When U.S. interest in the north Pacific was threatened by the Japanese, we permitted the Alaska highway to be constructed through our sovereign territory. During the Cold War, we permitted the U.S. to construct numerous radar and early-warning sites throughout the North. In order to prosper economically, Canada must be able to export its commodities. By treaty we are obligated to provide the U.S. with a reliable supply of oil and Keystone will supply as much oil for U.S. domestic use as for export. Perhaps the U.S. should be reminded of our support of U.S. interests when they really needed it.
Edward Gaillard, Kelowna, B.C.
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Corporate Knights a metrics misfire
In broad strokes, a business is sustainable across any period of time if the rate of use of its total stock of resources is equal to or less than the rate of resource-use required to sustain it. As obvious as these comments appear, they are almost always neglected in contemporary measures of sustainability. The most recent neglect is illustrated in the metrics of Corporate Knights' "global 100 most sustainable corporations," which came with The Globe (Jan.21).
It is important to find reliable and valid metrics of sustainable businesses. Even more importantly, we must find measures of a good quality of life. To set the search for such measures going down the right path, we must identify and abandon dead-ends such as the Knights' metrics.
Alex C. Michalos, Ottawa
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