Rejection of Keystone XL not yet secured.

brianlux

The latest news on Keyston XL from 350.org:

http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/direc ... eystone-xl

Here's the email that Bill McKibben just sent to US 350.org supporters who have been working on Keystone XL:

Just in case you thought there was anything subtle about the Keystone battle, you need to hear what the president of the American Petroleum Institute -- the oil industry's #1 front group -- said yesterday: if the President doesn’t approve the project there will “huge political consequences.”
That’s as direct a threat as you’re ever going to hear in DC, and it shows just how mad you made the oil industry last year by exposing Keystone for the climate-killing danger it is. And the oil industry can obviously make good on their threats -- they’ve got all the money on earth, and thanks to Citizens United they can use it without restriction in our elections. They’re not used to ever losing.

So far the Obama administration is standing firm in the face of Big Oil's bullying -- the White House made it completely clear last month that if the oil industry and its harem in Congress forced a speeded-up review, it would lead to an outright rejection of the permit for the pipeline. We expect they’ll keep their word.

Jeanwah

brianlux wrote:

Just in case you thought there was anything subtle about the Keystone battle, you need to hear what the president of the American Petroleum Institute -- the oil industry's #1 front group -- said yesterday: if the President doesn’t approve the project there will “huge political consequences.”

Proof that Big Oil is more powerful than leaders in government. We'll see what happens... I don't know about you Brian, but I see Obama being forced to cower because the sad truth is that no president has more power than the sickening fossil fuel industry...either that or no one has the balls to do anything about them. I certainly hope I wrong. What do you think he'll do?

brianlux

Jeanwah wrote:

I don't know about you Brian, but I see Obama being forced to cower because the sad truth is that no president has more power than the sickening fossil fuel industry...either that or no one has the balls to do anything about them. I certainly hope I wrong. What do you think he'll do?

Both suggestions seem likely, Jeanwah but if I had to guess, I'd say it's the former. My feeling is the President would like to oppose the Keystone XL and I do believe if enough people voice opposition to it* that it might get stopped... which is what initially appeared to be the case. Hoping for the best!

*By the way, this can easily be done through the link provided above!

cincybearcat

Of course there would be political consequences, there are with a lot of big decisions. Not doing the pipeline will cost how many jobs? More than just Big Oil will be pissed off.

I gotta go back a read more on this.

Jason P

The pipeline is already in operation all the way to Cushing, Kansas. This is an extension and increase in capacity.

If I was without a job right now, I would be getting some welding training as quickly as possible. Pipefitters and welders are going to make serious bank when this gets pushed through.

I'm not for or against it, but that is my realistic take.

Jeanwah

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

brianlux

Besides being a huge environmental risk (including continued reliance on fossil fuel greatly add to the CO2 in our atmosphere which is primarily responsible for global warming- see link below*) there are other reasons to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline including repudiating claims that the pipeline is good for our economy. Many more and varied jobs can be created though the research and development of renewal resources and clean energy than through the now archaic fossil fuel industry.


Another fallacy being promoted is the idea that the Keystone XL pipeline will supply more oil to the US (a bad idea anyway compared with developing clean energy). Here are two links that discuss that:

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswif ... s_pip.html

This reads, in part:

One of the most important facts that is missing in the national debate surrounding the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is this – Keystone XL will not bring any more oil into the United State for decades to come. Canada doesn’t have nearly enough oil to fill existing pipelines going to the United States. However, existing Canadian oil pipelines all go to the Midwest, where the only buyer for their crude is the United States. Keystone XL would divert Canadian oil from refineries in the Midwest to the Gulf Coast where it can be refined and exported. Many of these refineries are in Foriegn Trade Zones where oil may be exported to international buyers without paying U.S. taxes. And that is exactly what Valero, one of the largest potential buyers of Keystone XL's oil, has told its investors it will do. The idea that Keystone XL will improve U.S. oil supply is a documented scam being played on the American people by Big Oil and its friends in Washington DC.

and this video (thank you T.):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9C-AJ6ZNVw

And this link regarding CO2 in our atmosphere:

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar ... t-methane/

which concludes:

Could methane be a point of no return?

Actually, releasing CO2 is a point of no return if anything is. The only way back to a natural climate in anything like our lifetimes would be to anthropogenically extract CO2 from the atmosphere. The CO2 that has been absorbed into the oceans would degas back to the atmosphere to some extent, so we’d have to clean that up too. And if hydrates or peats contributed some extra carbon into the mix, that would also have to be part of the bargain, like paying interest on a loan.

Conclusion

It’s the CO2, friend.

The only ones to benefit (and even then, only on the short-term) from the Keystone XL pipeline are big oil companies. Continued reliance on fossil fuels is bad for us, bad for the planet.

Jason P

Jeanwah wrote:

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

It doesn't matter if the project is approved or not. The oil is already being refined in the U.S. and they will refine it until the source runs out. This project allows them to refine it faster.

The project will go through. My take is to make an opportunity out of it if you are able-bodied and jobless.

brianlux

Jason P wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

It doesn't matter if the project is approved or not. The oil is already being refined in the U.S. and they will refine it until the source runs out. This project allows them to refine it faster.

The project will go through. My take is to make an opportunity out of it if you are able-bodied and jobless.

Why not support jobs in the renewable/clean energy industry instead? The opportunities there are huge, more varied, longer lasting and the result of that kind of work is good for us and our planet rather than self-destructive.

Jason P

brianlux wrote:

Why not support jobs in the renewable/clean energy industry instead? The opportunities there are huge, more varied, longer lasting and the result of that kind of work is good for us and our planet rather than self-destructive.

I do. In fact, I'm working in the renewable energy industry.

brianlux

Jason P wrote:

brianlux wrote:

Why not support jobs in the renewable/clean energy industry instead? The opportunities there are huge, more varied, longer lasting and the result of that kind of work is good for us and our planet rather than self-destructive.

I do. In fact, I'm working in the renewable energy industry.

Excellent!
Tell us more. What's new in renewable energy? How can we get involved?

brianlux

More reasons to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=10411%3Cbr

Notice one wise responder states, "I would just add that the bottom line of ALL these speculative looks at the various potential “nasty surprises” that may be in store, is to simply reinforce the urgency of rapidly phasing out ALL anthropogenic GHG emissions as quickly as possible. There is, after all, little else that we can do about the problem anyway."

polaris_x

Really - at the end of the day. The target shouldn't be this pipeline - it should be the tar sands itself. At one point the oil companies were willing to invest in cleaner technologies and processes however, once our anti-environment gov't came into power - they no longer had to ... and we all know when corporations are given that choice ... they would choose profit over doing what is right (or at least better in this case) ...

brianlux

polaris_x wrote:

Really - at the end of the day. The target shouldn't be this pipeline - it should be the tar sands itself. At one point the oil companies were willing to invest in cleaner technologies and processes however, once our anti-environment gov't came into power - they no longer had to ... and we all know when corporations are given that choice ... they would choose profit over doing what is right (or at least better in this case) ...

Great point! :thumbup:

MayDay Malone

Jeanwah wrote:

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

Please explain where these "renewable energy" jobs are.

Heard Solyndra wasn't really hiring anymore...

Jason P

MayDay Malone wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

Please explain where these "renewable energy" jobs are.

Heard Solyndra wasn't really hiring anymore...

The are all over the Midwest almost everywhere you look. Fields that sat absent for decades (while collecting taxpayer government subsidies) are now flourishing with corn and soybeans.

I'm surprised that solar power has taken so long to advance. We have a giant burning orb in the sky and we have failed to take advantage of it.

MayDay Malone

Jason P wrote:

MayDay Malone wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

Ya know, using jobs as a reason to go through with it is CRAP! Because renewable energy provides tons of jobs also. That tactic can be used both ways here... WITH the pipeline and WITHOUT.

Please explain where these "renewable energy" jobs are.

Heard Solyndra wasn't really hiring anymore...

The are all over the Midwest almost everywhere you look. Fields that sat absent for decades (while collecting taxpayer government subsidies) are now flourishing with corn and soybeans.

I'm surprised that solar power has taken so long to advance. We have a giant burning orb in the sky and we have failed to take advantage of it.

Im still waitin for the cold fusion idea to come thru- like in that movie The Saint.

Until then, I will take wonderful, plentiful oil, 100,000 jobs, and the pipeline!!

Jason P

Keystone Pipeline rejected.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-set-reject-keystone-oil-pipeline-sources-165859308.html

Jeanwah

Jason P wrote:

Keystone Pipeline rejected.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-set-reject-keystone-oil-pipeline-sources-165859308.html

It didn't happen yet.

MayDay Malone

100,000 jobs.

Energy independence.

Naw... No upside here.

Im glad Obama cancelled it- something else to hammer him on in the general election...

Jeanwah

Jeanwah wrote:

Jason P wrote:

Keystone Pipeline rejected.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-set-reject-keystone-oil-pipeline-sources-165859308.html

It didn't happen yet.

I see it's now been updated.

He had to do this because environmentalists vote for him and if he loses them, well...
This unfortunately is all about votes, but thankfully it is definitely in the right direction for the planet. Politics suck anyway, at least something gains something out of this, if not only temporarily.