OTISFIELD — The Otisfield Conservation Committee will show the 45-minute film “Pipe Dreams” Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Town Office, 403 State Route 121, starting at 7 p.m. The showing is free to the public and all are welcome.

“Pipe Dreams” tells the story of the epic struggle shaping up in America’s heartland as landowners fight to protect their land, water and livelihoods from the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will ship tar sands slurry from huge open pit mines in Alberta, Canada, to refineries overseas and in Texas. This slurry is highly corrosive and must be shipped under great pressure. Despite industry’s assurances that leaks are unlikely, existing tar sands pipelines have a history of ruptures, often with devastating effects on the environment.

While the Keystone XL Pipeline grabs national headlines, Exxon-Mobile has quietly moved ahead with a plan to reverse the flow of the aging Portland-Montreal pipeline (which currently carries crude oil from Portland to Quebec) so it can ship toxic tar sands slurry from Canada to Portland. From Portland, tar sands oil will be shipped overseas.

The climate and topography of the American Midwest differs from northern New England in many regards, but both regions share a reliance on precious water resources that are being put at grave risk in the name of corporate profit. “Pipe Dreams” explores the science behind tar sands pipelines, and is equally relevant to western Maine as it is to the American Heartland.

Film critic Leonard Maltin says of “Pipe Dreams,” “Riveting! A clear and compelling film that chronicles a David and Goliath story involving ordinary Americans, big corporations, and our own government. I hope this film has a long life.”