Robert Samuelson absolutely nails it when it comes to President Obama’s terrible decision not to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Our friend Marita Noon adds her arguments to the mix showing that Obama is all show, no substance.
Interestingly enough, given the trends in the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom which measures levels of economic freedom around the world, Canada is 6th while the supposedly “free market” US of A has fallen to 10th. Canada is going to start thinking about the US and our corrupt and incompetent government as we have thought about Mexico and their governments.
They still load oil on to freight trains and send it to the USA!
While Trans Canada and Enbridge are encountering political delays in building the Keystone Pipeline or one from Alberta to Canada’s west coast, Kinder Morgan already has the Trans Mountain pipeline that has been in place in Canada since 1953 and goes from the oil sands to Vancouver. They plan to expand it and likely won’t emcounter the environmental problems faced by Enbridge because it follows an established route. Currently, the pipeline is only sending 10,000 barrels per day to Vancouver but if the Keystone pipeline doesn’t get built, expansion will greatly increase that flow over the next couple years and that oil will go to China. On the other hand. only 3% of the water on the planet is fresh water- the Ogalalla Aquifer, which the Keystone pipline would have crossed in Nebraska, provides the water for irrigation in much of the middle of the country, and Trans Canada is currently working to re-route that section. Just like in New Mexico, where the aquifer under Otero Mesa is the last untapped source of water in an arid state, companies want to drill there for natural gas and rare earth minerals. 1 billion people on the planet have no access to fresh water right now and those numbers are expected to grow. There’s a question about whether the oil or water will be more valuable over time. China doesn’t have enough water either. If we can get DC to begin the process of building out the infrastructure for natural gas filling stations, we won’t need the oil. GM has made natural gas powered vehicles for years- they have all been exported. With the shale gas plays that have been discovered, and there are some in remote areas not near any water sources, our natgas reserves went from 9 years to 100. We need to get off of oil and on cleaner burning, American natural gas.