Official Statement from the Consumer Energy Alliance regarding Obama’s decision on the Keystone Pipeline
CEA Statement on Obama’s Keystone XL Pipeline Rejection
In response to today’s announcement by President Obama rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) Executive Vice President Michael Whatley issued the following statement:
“Consumer Energy Alliance joins American energy consumers across the nation in expressing their deep disappointment in President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. In doing so, he has thumbed his nose at more than two thirds of Americans who support reducing energy imports from unfriendly nations; who support job creation; who support friendly relations with our Canadian neighbors; who support regulatory decisions based on science, not politics; and who support big ideas and big achievements.
“This decision clearly flies in the face of volumes of scientific evidence that shows the Keystone XL pipeline would be safe, enhance environmental standards, and be a more cost-effective alternative to importing oil from overseas. It also disregards the work done by the Department of State, Department of Energy and PHMSA which have collectively concluded that Keystone XL would be the safest pipeline ever built in the United States, reduce gasoline and diesel prices and reduce carbon emissions associated moving oil into American refineries.”
+1!!!
No surprise at all; B.O. has always screwed our friends and abetted our enemies.
Well , now that should not be a surprise……..that way we can keep invading other countries. BIG OIL….is calling the shots, BP, EXXON.
KExxon was in favor of keystone.
doesn’t exxon have a deal with Russia?
It’s not XOM who opposed Keystone— It’s Warren Buffet who owns the Burlington Northern RR because it is making a fortune hauling oil by rail.
I agree with the Warren B……..thought
Canada has to have its own strategy on bringing heavy oil to market, but another financial crisis will impede any effort at raising capital to build a $25b. refinery anywhere. The reason that a pipeline is being contemplated to St. John, NB, is that Irving has facilities to handle the oil and a port. Nobody is willing to see a repeat of the Lac Megantic rail disaster.
Oh come on, it’s their own fault they got axed.
1. Did they offer to build an above ground pipeline like in Alaska. In this case, to protect one of America’s largest aquifers–the one created at the end of the last ice age? ….Nope Never mind that We can only live without drinking water for three days, whereas there are alternatives to oil.
2. Did they agree to keep the oil in the USA so America wouldn’t have to import for much from the Middle East? ….Nope How’s that for our best ally?
3. Did they even try to get one built across their own country to their port for export? ….OF COURSE NOT!!!!!
…And here’s why in short: If America has greenies, then Canada has greenies on steroids. More specifically:
3a. Going west, they’d have build it across the Canadian Rockies, its winding rivers and waterfalls, its valleys and canyons–all the while dodging avalanches, landslides, and worst of all, tip toeing past their provincial parks. The most doable east/west through ways already have roads, and those roads go right past/through their parks. And when they get to the coast, they splash smack dabbed into their marine sanctuaries. The alternative is to then turn south along the coast and port it out of Vancouver… Ahh, don’t you love the smell of those petro-aromatics in the morning–thosee lovely benzenes wafting a over a hot cup of chocolate on a sidewalk cafe. Kinda makes you think your in Valdez!!!
So all in all, they did it to themselves and now they howl at US. Please oh please go pound on your own parliament and PM. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
3b. Of course they could go east and port it out of the Great Lakes to our NATO allies. But the oil sands have more love for profit than our distant relatives living in modern day Europe.
So they grunt and grumble and blame America for not accepting all the risk with little or no benefit.
Agree, we Canadians got what we deserve. No doubt about it. We should not blame US for our own incompetence. Hope we learn from this lesson. God bless Canada so people don’t just elect talkers who give lip service to people only. Hope we have our own pipelines and refineries so we are not at the mercy of Americans.
I’m not sure if the Canadian people got what they deserved, it’s just the the oil sands crowd blew the deal by trying to bury pipe across the aquifer and thought it more cost effective to purchase enough elected officials to force it through that way rather than offer something like an above ground pipeline across the aquifer to quiet the concerns. They gave the greenies an excuse, and Obama ran with it–IMHO.
With inter-provincial matters, Alberta can only buy its way out. However, federal government can do more. Just for national interest alone, they should stand up against the irrational demands of greenies and natives. Actually, there are more than one way to skin the cat. Attracting international capital to build refineries can help as well. But they seem to care about winning elections far more than winning the economy. As an Albertan, I am quite disappointed. We have missed the best chance already. We used to have the money to a lot of thing but we are running big deficit just to get by. I see downhill from here. Maybe in the next year or so, our NDP government will beg the federal government for hand-out. it is sad.
In America, quiet enjoyment of one’s property is among the basic bundle rights of property ownership. To build on private property or demand a right away requires condemnation under imminent domain. The pipeline isn’t a public highway, it’s a private venture.
Thus the difference between America and Afghanistan, is that over there the multinationals can start wars under false flags to shoot them off their property; and by all measure, that’s not going so well over there. For some reason, pipelines and poppy fields don’t mix well without paying ongoing tolls to the trolls.
But agree totally: “With inter-provincial matters, Alberta can only buy its way out.”
They could always refine on site and ship a value added product…thus creating more jobs locally.
Wow.
Why would anyone be surprised by this decision!!!