We are in harmony about eminent domain. And, as an engineer, I wholeheartedly agree with your view that pipelines are by far and away the safest and most reliable method of bulk oil transport (historically).

My contention is that us engineers know precisely how to design systems to detect leaks and shut down immediately, we know how to design systems to contain those leaks, we know how to mitigate damage to the absolute minimum with proper containment back-ups; but at the end of the day, some bean counter is going to tell us that it's not "cost effective". There is some wisdom to "return on investment", but my main point of contention is that if we are going to put a pipeline across a body of water that could potentially harm the life of people, initial cost cannot be a factor. The studies should be published, peer reviewed, and any contentions be brought up so they can be addressed by all parties. In this instance, it seems that Keystone is trying to ram it through and hide the studies from the indigenous peoples. There is a solution here to make this thing work for everyone, but instead of getting the engineers involved to come up with those solutions and satiate everyone's concern, shit-bag lawyers and politicians (who have the mental faculties of retarded lemurs) are involved. Nobody wins, it becomes a giant political pissing match, and a bunch of people are going to get pummeled by who has the most power.

I've worked with the Army Corp of Engineers throughout my career on multiple projects. They are meticulous to a point that it's annoying (which is good, but really fucking annoying). But it seems to me that politics and money are driving this, just like the New Orleans levies, and that gives me great pause for concern.