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Speak up to Protect Organic Farms from Pipelines Would you like a crude oil pipeline built across your farm? How about a huge power line? Do you think organic food should be grown on top of crude oil pipelines? This summer, you have a chance to speak up at a pipeline permit hearing and help protect organic farms. As you may have heard, the Minnesota Pipe Line Company wants to run a crude oil pipeline across Minnesota to bring oil from Canadian oil sands to the Koch refinery in Rosemount. This pipeline would carry as much 350,000 barrels per day of petroleum crude oil and would operate at a maximum pressure of 1,462 pounds per square inch. In order to avoid suburban areas, the Company’s preferred route would cross 149 miles of farmland, including four organic farms. In it’s plans for construction of the pipeline, removal of soil and use of chemicals, the Company makes no distinction between conventional and organic farms. The Company has proposed to route its crude oil pipeline through the center of the Gardens of Eagan organic farm, putting the survival of this certified organic farm at risk. We know that organic farms are vulnerable to soil and ecosystem losses, chemical contamination and the risk of lower production as a result of pipeline construction, pipeline maintenance and the possibility of crude oil spills. For this reason, MOSES, the Land Stewardship Project, the Twin Cities Coops and the Organic Consumers Association have gotten involved in the Minnesota Pipe Line case to advocate that organic farms should be avoided if there are feasible alternatives and that special precautions should be taken to protect organic ecosystems and certification. It is vitally important that organic farmers, alternative health practitioners, organic consumers and advocates speak up in favor of protecting organic farms. There will be an open public hearing in every county affected by the pipeline and you are needed to come and express your views. These views can influence not only the route of the Minnesota Pipe Line Company pipeline, but state policy on whether organic farms should be protected as pipelines, transmission lines and other infrastructure are planned to cross agricultural land. You can come testify in the Minnesota Pipe Line hearings even if this pipeline isn’t planned to cross your land. Thank you for your willingness to speak up and help protect organic farms. Preliminary Pipeline Hearing Schedule August 24, 2006 Clearwater and Hubbard Counties For hearing updates go to www.gardensofeagan.com Tips on Public Testimony to Protect Organic Farms 1. Put your testimony in writing and bring a copy to give to the hearing judge and the court reporter. There is a lot of information on how the crude oil pipeline would affect organic farms on the Gardens of Eagan web site at http://www.gardensofeagan.com. The official page for the pipeline permit application is
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