February 28th, 2012

An anti-pipeline bumper sticker on rancher Sue Luebbe's pickup. Four years ago, she stood on the hood of the truck and pointed a rifle at a helicopter that was surveying her land for TransCanada.

Ranchers' Land Becomes Ground Zero In Energy Fight

February 28th, 2012• Ranchers' Land Becomes

Ground Zero In Energy Fight– Gas prices are spiking once again; the

cost of a gallon of regular unleaded is about 12% higher than it was a year ago. But winter typically isn't the time for a rise in gas prices. Demand for gasoline is at a 14-year low and domestic oil production is at an 8-year high.

– Supporters of the pipeline argue more oil from Canada means the U.S. would rely less on oil from places like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. TransCanada says the pipeline would create 20,000 direct jobs and thousands more related ones.

– When TransCanada proposed running the XL pipeline through the Sandhills of Nebraska, a delicate ecosystem, it hit a snag.

– Keystone would use eminent domain to acquire an easement.

Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, provides about 27% of the irrigated land in the United States overlies this aquifer system, which yields about 30% of the nation's ground water used for irrigation. In addition, the aquifer system provides drinking water to 82% of the people who live within the aquifer boundary.

February 28th, 2012

• Top Sources of Net Crude Oil and Petroleum Product Imports:

• Canada (25%)• Saudi Arabia (12%)• Nigeria (11%) • Venezuela (10%) • Mexico (9%)

February 28th, 2012• Judge Dismisses Organic Farmers' Case Against

Monsanto• U.S. Bank Profits Hit A Five-Year High In 2011

– The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday that bank earnings rose in the October-December quarter to $26.3 billion. That's 23 percent higher than earnings in the final quarter of 2010. About 63 percent of banks reported improved earnings. Only 19 percent were unprofitable.

• GAO: Overlapping government programs cost billions

• New case of class warfare -- between Santorum and Romney

• Colonialism in Africa helped launch the HIV epidemic a century ago