Is the Keystone XL Worth The Fight? [BOOK REVIEW]
Trespassing Across America: One Man's Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland by Ken Ilgunas (2017)
Trespassing Across America: One Man's Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland by Ken Ilgunas (2017) is one late 20-somethings journey along the proposed route of the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL). He treks solo from Hardisty, Alberta to Port Arthur, Texas, with nothing more than a 40lb backpack and a reliance on total strangers.
At the time of his hike (2012-2013), the pipeline had already been contentious, as the proposed route would intersect an environmentally sensitive area in Nebraska and hundreds of protestors, including celebrities like Daryl Hannah, had been arrested for civil disobedience protesting the pipeline. Shortly after his trek was complete, the Obama Administration vetoed the KXL and the war against oil became ever the more turbulent with protests, demonstrations and a burning hate for those on either sides of the pipeline debate.
Ilgunas welds admirable writing skill. He has a knack for painting natural landscapes, sharing his life outlook, describing the political landscape, and transitions effortlessly between trek, historical fact, personal interests, insights on people, and socio-economic issues related to the pipeline that are easily overlooked. The format he chose kept me interested to hear more - I should probably admit here that I listened to the audiobook. I admired how incredibly likeable and rational Ilgunas is. As this novel was suggested to me as an environmental piece, I was surprised that Ilgunas was’t the “high and mighty environmentalist” one might expect, but instead a young, intelligent and freethinking guy, who is somewhat disillusioned with North America and politicians. He echoes the struggle of being an environmentalist, yet thinking, “Is there anything we can do about it? Do I even care?” Her also holds a balanced view when it comes to our warming planet: he doesn’t know what will happen and doesn’t pretend to.
Unfortunately, this book won’t give you ammunition against the KXL. Ilgunas didn’t present any hard facts on carbon emitting from pipeline, and wasn’t even 100% sure that that building it is bad thing. He did however, make some compelling arguments against the pipeline. Construction of the KXL will indeed create jobs, however, the maintenance of the pipeline will only make about 35 permanent ones thereafter. To those who claim “North American oil, for North Americans”, that’s not correct either. Oil from the KXL will be shipped to foreign markets. Take the highly contested Trans Mountain Pipeline (Kinder Morgan) for example, that oil is to be shipped to Asian markets.
Though this book was suggested to me as an environmental piece, I would not classify it as such. Ilguna’s journey is best read as a thoughtful travel peace. In it he discovers that the Great Plains are anything but plain. Instead they are open, expansive, rolling, and with an eventful and easily forgotten history. The discovery was one of loving and trusting in your fellow man. Humans, a species that has everything to lose from environmental destruction
