The editorial regarding the Keystone XL pipeline (Herald, Nov. 9) was, for the most part, accurate. However, one error must be highlighted: your declaration that the pipeline will carry crude oil.
In fact, the pipeline will carry tar sands, diluted with a variety of chemicals harmful to humans and the environment.
People who support the pipeline call this substance “dilbit,” or diluted bitumen. When I lived in Nebraska and confronted representatives with a question about the pipeline content, they would answer with “dilbit,” but either did not know or would not reveal the dilution. I would be surprised if the shortsighted Colorado representatives who support the pipeline know the content, either.
If we are to leave the world a better place for our descendants, a good place to begin is to halt the destruction caused by tar sands extraction in Canada.
David K. Primrose
Broomfield
