pipeline (Photo credit: LizMarie_AK)
The recent events regarding the Keystone Project have shone a light on the Environmentalist movement and the Obama administration.
The running of a pipeline through the Dakotas is safe and everyone knows it. We have 25,000 miles of pipe there already and we have studied this for about 3 years. We don’t know how to lay pipe? Gimme a break.
I respect the Environmentalist right to oppose the pipeline but they should be honest about the reason. The real reason is they DO NOT WANT THE OIL SUPPLY AVAILABLE TO THE UNITED STATES – REGARDLESS OF HOW SAFE IT IS. They fear the introduction of a long-term supply of affordable oil. This is a major setback for environmentalist initiatives. They feel if oil gets too expensive we will have to leave it. OK – I understand the logic – but why not be truthful about it. This BS about more study being needed is sickening.
President Obama is equally two-faced. Here is a project that he knows will bring jobs, affordable energy and security to our energy supply. Yet he turns it down and babbles the same BS. His plan is OK it after the election to get the jobs. So – in the meantime we risk our energy supply to Iran and unemployment drags along.
-- Download Keystone, Obama, and the Environmentalists - Deception and Arrogance as PDF --
I don’t think anybody doesn’t want an oil supply available to the United States. In fact, the whole world’s oil supply is available as long as we pay the price.
The argument against the pipeline is environmental. It’s intensified because of the facts surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the gulf two years ago. It is clear that the companies involved were basically self regulated. They cut corners on construction and operation and had no effective cleanup plan in place. The result was the largest oil spill in history. The companies involved all blamed each other and nobody took ultimate responsibility.
The argument for the pipeline is economic. Some estimates say it will create as much as 100,000 jobs or more. Many will end when the construction is complete but some will last. There’s a lot of disagreement over the job numbers but you would have to be irrational to claim that it won’t create jobs. And it might even lead to new refineries which would create even more jobs. Not only will it create jobs, it will also increase the supply of oil which should push down prices ( — should –). And a new source of North American oil has positive national security implications.
The economic impact is very good but the potential environmental implications are very scary (and environmental destruction is certainly not good for the economy).
I suspect Obama and the State dept. will ultimately approve the pipeline. But hopefully not before insuring that it is well regulated. If the regulating agency finds that stringent environmental guidelines are not being maintained they must have the authority to halt construction until they are restored. If it’s impossible to turn a profit in the face of environmental regulations then that just means the pipeline is not a profitable investment.
I appreciate the thoughtful reply and dissent from my opinion. I understand there are people who honestly belive the pipleline might be dangerous but they are a small group and not the people making the decision to stall the pipeline. This is a political decision not an environmental one. I still contend there is not reason pipe cannot be laid. 25K of it there already and after all – it is pipe – not rockets.
[...] via Keystone, Obama, and the Environmentalists – Deception and Arrogance | HgTransEcon. [...]