Obama Mans Up on the Keystone Pipeline Decision

Maybe it is the threat of thousands of protestors circling the White House this weekend. Or maybe he’s sick of being pushed around by Big Oil .  Or maybe he just gets it.

Whatever his motive, President Obama has signaled that he’s gonna man up on the Keystone XL pipeline decision, suggesting that he, and not some political hack in the State Department, will make the final decision about whether or not it is in "the national interest" to permit the construction of a $7 billion pipeline that will bring dirty crude from the Alberta tar sands down to Gulf Coast refineries.

This is a big change.  Just a few days ago, White House press secretary Jay Carney suggested that Obama has better things to do than think about whether or not America should allow the construction of what amounts to a giant hypodermic needle for our oil addiction.  “This is a decision that will be made by the State Department,” Carney said.

No it ain’t. Obama said.  “[The State Department] will be giving me a report over the next several months and, you know, my general attitude is, what is best for the American people? What’s best for our economy both short-term and long-term?  But also, what's best for the health of the American people?" Obama said in a Nebraska TV interview. "Because we don’t want for example aquifers . . . adversely affected. Folks in Nebraska obviously would be directly impacted, and so we want to make sure we’re taking the long view on these issues."

Nebraskans, understandably, are getting riled up about the idea of the proposed pipeline possibly rupturing like a cheap beer can and dumping toxic bitumen into the Ogwalla aquifer, where Nebraskans get more than 80 percent of their water supply.  They are also not happy that the pipeline cuts right through the Sand Hills, one of the most fragile and environmentally-sensitive regions of the state.  This week, the Nebraska legislature began a special session which anti-pipeline activists hope will result in new land use laws that will force TransCanada, which will build the pipeline to – at the very least – re-route the pipeline around the Sand Hills and the Ogwalla aquifer.

In his interview, Obama made it clear that he has heard the concerns of Nebraskans: “We need to encourage domestic natural gas and oil production. We need to make sure that we have energy security and aren’t just relying on Middle East sources. But there’s a way of doing that and still making sure that the health and safety of the American people and folks in Nebraska are protected, and that’s how I’ll be measuring these recommendations when they come to me.”

Asked if the potential for jobs from the project will affect his decision, Obama replied, "You know it does, but I think folks in Nebraska like all across the country aren’t going to say to themselves, we’ll take a few thousand jobs if it means that our kids are potentially drinking water that would damage their health, or if rich land that is so important to agriculture in Nebraska ends up being adversely affected, because those create jobs, and you know, when somebody gets sick that’s a cost that the society has to bear as well. So these are all things that you have to take a look at when you make these decisions."

Of course, there are other things that you have to take a look at when you make these decisions.  Like how burning 830,000 barrels per day of dirty, carbon-intensive tar sands oil will increase the risks of climate change, and why, after vowing during the campaign to “end the tyranny of oil,” Obama would consider signing off on a project that will only increase our dependency on it.

Still, for activists who have long complained about Obama’s failure to engage on climate and energy issues, his latest remarks about the pipeline are good news.  If nothing else, it is a sign that he is paying attention.  How much attention is another question. For that, they’ll have to wait for his decision on the pipeline permit itself, which is expected to come before the end of the year.

Two people arrested for alleged home invasion

Two of three people wanted in connection with an alleged home invasion last week near Bunker Hill were arrested Saturday on outstanding warrants.

Both Matthew Wayne Lange Jr., 22, of Martinsburg, and Autumn T. Blaine, 36, of Phillips Lane, Bunker Hill, were charged with first-degree robbery. Blaine also was arraigned on charges of forgery and uttering, as well as three counts of possession of a controlled substance.

According to court records, at about 11:12 p.m. Oct. 24, Berkeley County Sheriff's Deputy M. Stewart was dispatched to a report of a home invasion on Sam Mason Road.

When he arrived, he spoke to the complainants and the victim. One of the residents of the home said that she was sitting in the living room when three individuals walked inside without knocking. The woman told police she knew two of the subjects, Blaine and Lange, who walked in, records show.

The witness said that the two individuals had large silver flashlights when they entered the residence. A third individual was carrying a large digging tool with a wooden handle. The witness told police they walked to a back bedroom before leaving a few minutes later, records show.

Stewart spoke with another resident, who also was in the living room and observed Blaine, Lange and the third individual enter the home without knocking.

Stewart spoke with the alleged victim, who said that he was asleep when the three subjects were there and that he didn't see any of the individuals. He said that one of the residents of the home woke him up and told him what happened. He said that he looked around and observed clothes from a dresser laying all over the floor. The man said he looked in the drawer and noticed that his wallet, containing $1,000, was missing, records show.

Police then went to Blaine's residence but found no one there. They later located her at her boyfriend's home. They found her inside a bathroom holding a spoon with a light brownish substance on it. Lange and another woman holding a hypodermic needle also were found in the bathroom, records show.

In the living room of the residence, police found a large silver flashlight on a couch. All of the suspects denied knowing anything about the home invasion and avoided answering any of Stewart's questions. Stewart later found an open bag containing marijuana, heroin and several Xanax pills in the bathroom.

Police also found a digging tool with a wooden handle on a seat inside Blaine's vehicle.

As of Monday, both Lange and Blaine remained in custody at Eastern Regional Jail. If convicted of first-degree robbery, they face no less than 10 years in prison.

Village man jailed on heroin charge

A Catskill village man with a long arrest record has been charged with sale and possession of heroin, police said Monday.

Tommas J. Lifgren, 34, who has lived on William Street, was arrested May 5 and charged with one count of third-degree criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance, both class B felonies.

Lifgren was arraigned in village court and remanded to the Greene County Jail without bail.

The investigation is continuing and more charges are pending, police said.

According to Lt. Greg Sager, Lifgren was traveling from Columbia County on the day of the arrest.

State Police at Catskill and Livingston, investigators from CNET-Capital and the Greene County District Attorney’s Office assisted Catskill Village Police in the investigation.

In November 2009, Lifgren was arrested in Athens by state police on a warrant. He was arraigned and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of bail.

In March 2010, Lifgren was arrested in the town of Catskill by state police and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana, unsafe tires, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Lifgren was arraigned and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

On March 12, 2011 Lifgren was arrested again in the town of Catskill by state police and charged with felony and misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument. He was sent to the Greene County Jail.

Later that month in Hudson, Lifgren was arrested by Hudson Police and charged with three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a hypodermic instrument. According to police, he was found in possession of narcotics, including a glass crack pipe with crack cocaine, two oxycodone pills, heroin and a hypodermic needle. He was held for arraignment after he attempted to dispose of the pills and heroin.