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Texas Sharon's Bluedaze

Fracking News

A poetic list of pipeline spills

April 3, 2013 By TXsharon

I have a twisted sistah in the Marcellus who reminds us that April is poetry month.

17 Ways to Look at Pipeline Spills (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)

Last year, in the US alone, there were 364 spills from pipelines. This year, as of February 28, there have been 41 reports of spills – 70% of which were caused by failure of materials, welding, or equipment – racking up damage costs of more than $3 million.

Here’s mine in honor of poetry month

Bitumen (with apologies to Carl Sandburg)

The black death slithers silently
like a snake.

It slimes
through the forest and village
into the water with it’s putrid stench
and lethal venom.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

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Filed Under: Tar Sands, XOM

Comments

  1. Jeff Insko says

    April 4, 2013 at 5:55 am

    Nice poem! A while back, we remarked (with thanks to Wallace Stevens) Enbridge’s attempts at “pipeline pastoral”: http://grangehallpress.com/Enbridgeblog/2012/11/10/last-weeks-freep-ad/

  2. Sue Heavenrich says

    April 4, 2013 at 7:21 am

    don’t forget ee’s contribution:

    in Just-
    spring when pipelines spew bit-
    umilicious the puny
    lame regulators

    handcuff whistleblowers
    far and wee,
    spurn journalists and
    residents alike
    block the roads and
    say the water is
    OK to drink and bathe and
    should your children be born goat-
    footed
    take it up with EXXON
    Sue Heavenrich recently posted..17 Ways to Look at Pipeline Spills (with apologies to Wallace Stevens)My Profile

  3. Andy Mechling says

    April 5, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Oops we spilled – someone tell EPA
    It’s their turn now to come and play,
    Try Not to be rude;
    but this isn’t the crude,
    …..and this time we don’t have to pay!

    • TXsharon says

      April 5, 2013 at 9:27 am

      Loves it! Thank you for playing.

  4. anonymous poetus says

    April 5, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    Oh gurgling black goo,
    You ooze and bubble…
    slowly

    Coating streets and yards
    you now call home,
    deserted!

    No longer dilute,
    your benzene fragrance
    wafted

    Left you
    In a swimming pool:
    an Exxon bird bath!

Stalk TXsharon

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