![cp-keystone-pipeline[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/cp-keystone-pipeline1.jpg?resize=720%2C450)
Craig Rucker of CFACT writes:
After years of deliberate delays President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline today. This is a victory for radical environmentalists and those who wish America ill.
It is a punch in the face to everyone else. Keystone XL is a clean, safe way to transport Canadian oil to American refineries and markets.
It would bring jobs along with abundant, affordable energy. Stopping the pipeline has no meaningful benefits for the environment and will create no meaningful change to global temperature. House Speaker Paul Ryan had this to say:
“This decision isn’t surprising, but it is sickening,” the Wisconsin Republican said. “By rejecting this pipeline, the president is rejecting tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.”
“He is rejecting our largest trading partner and energy supplier. He is rejecting the will of the American people and a bipartisan majority of the Congress,” he added. “If the president wants to spend the rest of his time in office catering to special interests, that’s his choice to make. But it’s just wrong. In the House, we are going to pursue a bold agenda of growth and opportunity for all.”
President Obama’s bad decision indicates that his White House is truly captive to the radical eco-left.
If the President is this bad on energy policy it indicates that there may be no limits to how bad a climate agreement he may sign in Paris.
At the White House sound understanding of science, energy and the environment have left the building.
‘At the White House sound understanding of science, energy and the environment have left the building.’
Hate to say it, but sound understanding of science, energy, and the environment (and a whole bunch of other things) was never in the building to begin with.
Agreed!
More spectacular train crashes, then….? I suggest People living along the traintracks evacuate to safe distance = 10 miles….
You bet! How is it possible that the electorate could put such an evil, scientifically illiterate,imbecile of a fraud in the White House as our President? God help us all.
The Democrats have the largest SuperPac on earth–the Main Stream Media. And they’ve become exceptionally skilled and effective at brainwashing the public with their lies and subterfuge. It’s been going on for decades and people won’t wake up until the US hits rock bottom.
The bard of Baltimore had it right all along.
Because he promised more “free” stuff, the media intentionally failed during the vetting process and the big “liberal” money wanted him. Plus the Right ran McCain (a doer not a leader” and Romney failed miserably. If the media had vetted Obummer half as much as they did Sarah Palin, he would have gone to jail for fraud instead of the Whitehouse.
If you believe this man is a Christian, loves America and truly wanted to make this country better and stronger, none of his decisions make sense. If you believe he is a Muslim, is not an American, hates this country and wants to do everything he can to destroy it, then all of his decisions make sense. Remember, we don’t have a “Spending” problem, we have a “Revenue” problem, until it comes to a project that will actually help this nation! This imposter and fraud should be in prison, not running the country.!
Bill
@ Bill
To paaphrase your statement:
may I simply say if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, etc.
And boy we are all screwed for at least another 439 days
(http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?p0=263&iso=20170120T00&msg=Time%20left%20until%20Obama%20leaves%20office?
If not for the Electoral College, the majority of the voting electorate would’ve put Gore in the White House in 2001. Imagine that.
You’ve heard of nightmares; your second thought would be a DAYmare.
Just wait until the U.S. requires fresh water from Canada.
That was my first thought.
This is so Warren Buffett (who has announced that his profits are at a record high)
can play with his BNSF set.
Not green, just greed…..
So Canada can now build a pipeline to the West Coast, and export the oil to China.
Whether they will – note the POTUS decision (announcement, anyway; I suspect the decision was taken years ago) was a f t e r the election of Trudeau fils – is less clear.
About twenty more years of this and the most advanced, and most civilised, nation in North America will be the United States of Mexico.
We in Europe have problems of our own – many of our own making . . .
Auto
I agree also, there is nothing sane about the administration’s energy policy, or for that matter any of the other policies
A clear win for Berkshire Hathaway, owner of the railroad that now transports all that oil. Thank you Warren Buffet, Obama supporter. Rent seeking, not?
This also keeps Bakken oil shipment confined to truck and rail transport.
I believe the Sandpiper Pipeline will transport Bakken oil and doesn’t need approval of the state department since it doesn’t cross the border. http://www.enbridge.com/SandpiperProject.aspx.
Yeah, this has nothing to do with the eco-left. It is purely to save $2B/year that B-H would lose. Well, given that the eco-left is all about money…
Mark
Record profits for B-H! Warren’s investment in Democrats is paying dividends.
As much oil as the pipeline could have carried can be done with 100 tanker car trains running every 45 minutes anyway but this could change if the environmentalists get their way.
Pinches Canucks a bit…. mid-North Americans, oh you’re gonna feel it.
I am sorry for your government. (yes, I said ‘sorry’)
Yes it is a pinch.
The recent change in Gov’t has shaken up the status quo. The “Liberal” party under the leadership of the “Student prince” Trudeau, now Prime Minister of Canada, campaigned on a platform of better international relationships for Canada among other fantasy illusioins. This was to contrast with that of previous Prime Minister Harper’s pragmatic and steady approach hated by progressives and environmentalists.
However in his post election victory call with President Obama, PM Trudeau let slip the decision to pull Canada out of the ISIS conflict thus removing our small air force bombing contingent, one of his other campaign platforms.
Obama had been demonizing Harper previously by not approving the construction, thus inadvertently, or perhaps overtly, aiding Trudeau who blamed the hold up on Harper’s supposedly aggressive international policy attitude. Trudeau maintained that the line could be approved when he was elected Prime Minister.
However the little idiot forgot, or did not realize, that foreign policy decisions can have negative consequences. In this case Obama slapped back by vetoing the line, in retribution for the ISIS pullout. (My theory.) Actually I can’t blame Mr O for this, as I might well have done the same considering.
We here in Canada are hunkering down for a long litany of domestic and foreign relations blunders. The upcoming disaster is Trudeau in Paris COP21 where he will be pushing his “Facebook foreign policy” (FFB) looking for likes as he sacrifices Canada’s once thriving natural resources industry on the alter of Climate Change.
Strange how things are always contradictory. Leftist progressives are anything but progressive, yet staunch Conservatives are constantly making innovation and progress!
I propose a law that says
” Whatever you think it is, it will always turn out the exact opposite”
We in Canada are about to be the Guinea pigs on this one.
I expect this has sealed the deal for folks at Lockheed-Martin as Trudeau fils promised to review and scrap the F-35 purchase. Or more probably, scrap the purchase and then review Canada’s options. He’ll probably buy Chinese or Russian planes; the boy’s an idiot. I only hope Butts and the other back-room boys in the new government are smarter.
Re: Robert of Ottawa’s post–Aren’t the Chinese working on a knockoff of the F-35? It would be pretty interesting if you Canadians adopted that plane instead of the American version.
I get it doubly bad by living in Ontario, first by the disastrous Liberal rule by the Ontario Government for the last twelve years and now I’ll be getting it by the Federal Liberals.
I don’t think my sphincter can stretch any wider.
It is intriguing that Obama decided to do this on Justin Trudeau’s first day in power. In my opinion, the timing is not coincidence. For some reason, Obama was willing to say “No” to Trudeau, but not to Harper. The payback for pulling out of the fight with ISIS is an interesting angle not to be discounted. However, it is clear that building better relations with Canada is not part of the agenda for the rest of the term…unless it was implied to him that it was “OK” to turn down Keystone.
“He’ll probably buy Chinese or Russian planes; ”
Go review the problems with the F-35 and you will see why they should go elsewhere. Made in America ain’t what it used to be.
BFL
Almost all new aircraft have teething problems. The original F-4 phantom was ill received due to its not having a gun. the F-15 also took some time to warm to. The fighter mafia was instrumental in getting the
F-16 approved because of the early criticisms of the F-15. The F-18 was the unwanted child by all. In the end it was found that it was the perfect replacement for the A-7 on carriers. Last one factor that is often over looked. The ground crews. Because most western militarizes are made up of volunteers the aircraft are better maintained and the sortie rates are much higher. Many of these people have 8-20 years experience at taking care of the aircraft.
We build very nice toys for our service people. I helped make many of them in earlier years. You have no idea how much fun it was going to college after having spent 15 years building war machines. It would drive the lefties nuts as soon as they found out!
michael
It appears Canadians may have found someone even less suited for critical thinking and strategic planning than the Americans have.
I seriously doubt that Canada pulling out of the ISIS fight had anything to do with Pres Obama’s decision re Keystone. That was a local internal decision entirely and everybody with half a brain knew he was going to reject it for years, he was just waiting for the ‘best’ political moment to do so.
Mike the Morlock
It’s a long sad joke in the defense industry but well known that when you hear “joint” as in joint strike fighter think “compromise” Each branch of the services has unique requirements and the requirements conflict with each other. We’ve never attempted to “joint” the services into one big block. So you end up with a compromised air superiority aircraft, Compromised ground attack, Compromised fleet defense. Interestingly as far as I can tell since most of the compromise was based around VTOL,STOL the Marines variant looks to be closest to what the Marines want. (when it finally gets it’s gun) (and I expect they’re going to find that the aircraft will end up a little soft for ground assault)
And the F-35 is now looking at time to market issues. Being developed for a dozen years has given a lot of time to develop counter measures and obviated many of the initial advantages. Very few people are still using cell phones developed that long ago.
I owe America an apology. I used to say that the US were clearly a bunch of imbeciles for voting in Obama.
And then we in Canada voted in a man who makes Obama’s paper thin resume look positively voluminous. A part time drama teacher who has the intellect of a box of hammers. His achievements don’t even rise to that of community organizer.
A man so politically correct that he insists on dressing up in Muslim garb when he visits a mosque and who has just created the new department of the environment and climate change. With much more silliness to come.
Sorry American voters. You guys are amateurs in the stupid electorate stakes.
Vull,
The bad news (if you need more) is that people like that are very easy to control. And you aren’t the one who will be controlling him.
Sorry…
While I must admit to not following Canadian politics with the degree you evidently follow those of the US, I think your comment does insult hammers.
I sympathize with you bloggers who wanted the pipeline. However the majority of Canadians deserve everything they now get for voting in Trudeau and for them I am not feeling even slightly sorry. You made your bed by rejecting Harper. Now lie in it.
The majority of Canadians didn’t actually vote for Trudeau. He got just 39.5% of the popular vote. Last federal election there was a great hue and cry about how Harper got a majority in Parliament with only about 40% of the popular vote. This time, the majority is greater and the silence is deafening.
I understand the UN gave him some help in achieving this victory, as Moncton said they would last year in Australia. He thought Abbott would be OK but that hope was forlorn. There are no stand up western leaders going to Paris now.
It also will mean, counter-intuitively, that now Obama is less likely to reach any CO2 treaty with Canada. Both the NDP (socialist) government of Alberta, and the Liberal federal government, supported KXL.
The word was that both were willing to trade a carbon tax for approval on the KXL.
Ooops.
In spite of the lack of pipelines, Canada reached a record 3.4 million bbls/day in August.
National Post Canada, Archives
There are a number of articles on who funded the campaigns against Canadian oil. Browse a few pages back in the archives for much more information.
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/index.html?q=Vivian+Krause
WIKILEAKS
‘Oil Sands Market Campaigns’
A strategy report on dealing with parties who oppose the Oil Sands and who they are. Quite revealing!
http://wikileaks.org/gifiles/attach/33/33714_Suncor%20Presentation-1210.pdf
LE DEVOIR: Canadian Wikileak
Extracts of portions of diplomatic cable about Copenhagen Conference and the position of Quebec.
About: Ambassador Jacobson’s second visit to Montreal December 14-15 which was in 2009
Mentions oil and oil sands.
http://www.ledevoir.com/wikileaks-power
When does Gateway East come on line I wonder?
Energy East SHOULD now be built, with Alberta/Saskatchewan oil sent to St.John NB for refining and shipping to Europe. Canada should also re-open the Montreal refineries to produce Ontario & Quebec fuel.
This is what Louis St. Laurent did when Eisenhower rejected the St. Lawrence Seaway ~1954. Anyone remember how fast the Yanks jumped to insist that the Seaway take an American route, instead of all-Canadian?
Let’s face it, the Yanks have always been lousy neighbours who really don’t like their largest trading partner, except to screw us. Look at what’s being reported today (2015-11-09) about how the Trans Pacific Partnership will disembowel Canadian high-tech companies in favour of USA rules.
Let’s ignore the USA and sell to the world instead.
(Of course, that may be a tad difficult if the National Post & Wikipedia articles posted by Barbara are true. It’s very easy to manipulate a public that wants ‘the government’ to cure climate change but won’t stop driving and flying. Wait til they see how much it will cost us after we watch Justin better Harper’s 30% target.)
Is this really a surprise? The only thing I found that was surprising is he finally made a decision. I always assumed he would wait until his last week in office to reject it so he wouldn’t face any backlash.
It seems the way to get him to make a decision is to tell him you don’t want him to make a decision. Apparently, TCP requested a delay in the decision until a ruling was made at the state level. So of course, Obama did the opposite. 7 years of delays…no decision…request a delay…get a decision.
Obama played it like the typical self-centered politician–he’d rather slap TCP in the face with a resounding “No” than be slapped first. The guy is maniacal.
It’s mostly a symbolic gesture. The shipment of Alberta oil to the southern U.S. has increased through rail cars and through the expansion of pipelines that didn’t require federal approval.
Ayep… the Alberta oil is going to flow through the USA, KXL or no KXL. The amount of new long-term jobs that would be created by the KXL is miniscule.
The one leg of the Alberta Clipper, the single portion that runs through MN, created $8 billion pumped into the economy. These are SHOVEL READY jobs with workers spending.
I would gladly take any of those jobs.
.
Trick question:
Whats the difference between Obama temporary TAXPAYER sticulous shovel ready jobs and a real investment with temporary jobs that does not cost the taxpayers any money?
You can say that about any project. What matters is the regulatory hassle that everyone sees. Better off building factories outside the USA.
By the way, the jobs would be pretty decent. Pumping station operators and maintenance crews. The pipelining jobs during construction would have put 6 figures in a lot of men’s pockets if they work it overtime.
That way Warren Buffet gets his cut. Certainly explains his anti-KXL stand.
An oil train derailment (lac megantic) has a much more serious eco impact than a pipeline spill. So much for Obama’s green bona fides.
Buffet has publicly stated he is for KXL:
http://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/03/id-vote-yes-on-keystone-pipeline-warren-buffett.html
There more to the story here:
https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/brer-canada-and-the-tar-baby/
+ 1 (at least). And another thing Key Stone pipe line is nothing but a short cut, so nothing new there, the oil will get down to the US no matter what.
Your reasoning is the best way I can think of to start some ecofreak’s head spinning.
Keep up the good work.
From what I’ve heard (though ont in the media) the latest mode of transport is by water.
Rascal
Oboma’s union goons in Warren Buffet’s railroads, trucks, cranes, tugboats, barges, and ships remain the only “winners” as THEY get money hauling, re-storing, re-loading, and re-loading this oil many wasteful and slow times in many different cities and ports.
“At the White House sound understanding of science, energy and the environment have left the building.”
When was it in the building?
Sound understanding arrived February 32nd, two thousand and never…
Never there but manipulator lawyers rule the roost and honest types or fact checkers need not apply.
When this president leaves office next year there will probably be statues of him erected all over the Middle East and one of those will ever be blown up!
Maybe a Blow-up doll will be made in effigy.
Will it be blown up with hot air?
Reblogged this on Climatism and commented:
President Obama’s bad decision indicates that his White House is truly captive to the radical eco-left.
If the President is this bad on energy policy it indicates that there may be no limits to how bad a climate agreement he may sign in Paris.
Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, against the will of the people, proves his legacy is to panda to a small number of radical environmental activist groups, thus damaging America’s economy and denying thousands of well paid jobs.
Not to mention denying American energy independence, having to continue importing oil from Middle eastern countries.
Interestingly, America has built the equivalent of 10 Keystone pipelines since 2010 — and nobody said anything.
to panda to a small number of radical environmental activist groups sponsored by family foundations captured by the left and rent-seeking billionaires.
“…to panda to a small number of radical environmental activist groups.”
The word you want is pander.
The rest of his time catering to special interests? He’s spent the WHOLE time doing so, especially the likes of Warren Buffett. And don’t forget George Soros, who, as the Oil Sands slip into decline, is likely to swoop in and pick up his usual bargains. All of North America is teetering before the plunge into decline, as Canada elects a “protest mandate” in daffy, coiffed Justin Trudeau, and Alberta slithers into a puddle of liquefied debris under their local Socialist bunch, product of another protest mandate…The final crash will come if Bernie Sanders gets elected into the presidency. Then we won’t need to cut emissions, because they will stop all on their own.
Canada should act in its own best interests just as Obama says he is acting in the best interests of the USofA. The TPP is an extremely crappy deal for the Canadian people (but it’s a great deal for international corporations with headquarters in the US). Canada should refuse to ratify the TPP. The corporations might be sufficiently ticked off that donations to the Democrats would be seriously reduced.
I find myself agreeing with Hillary, on this occasion only, the TPP is evil and shouldn’t be ratified. Maybe the death of Keystone will cause the young Trudeau to grow a spine. /rant
Can a jellyfish grow a spine?
Trudeau fils will never do that.
Apparently Australia is ‘being greedy’ for not signing TPP.
Obviously, Obama no longer feels the need to straddle the fence on sensitive political issues. This is a sign that in his last year of office he is going to be the all-out leftist and wacko environmental extremist he has always wanted to be. He will sign any agreement in Paris, just like he was willing to sign any agreement with Iran. It doesn’t matter how bad it is or how much it will hurt our economy. If Obama’s final 2 years in office can’t wake up the American people to how extreme the Democratic Party has become, nothing will.
It’s all part of his new Obamadon’tcare program.
HA, …. it’s all part of his one and only campaign “promise” that he is still intent on fulfilling, … “to fundamentally change America” …. in order to insure his legacy is always honored and praised by the Islamic worshipping Muslim world of Religious “wackos”.
America has built the equivalent of 10 Keystone pipelines since 2010 and no one said anything . What a way to treat your best neighbour.
http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/america-has-built-the-equivalent-of-10-keystone-pipelines-since-2010-and-no-one-said-anything
Here is part of the above news clipping from Financial Post
‘”While TransCanada Corp. has been cooling its heels on its Keystone XL proposal for the past six years, the oil pipeline business has been booming in the United States.
Crude oil pipeline mileage rose 9.1 per cent last year alone to reach 66,649 miles, according to data from the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) set to be released soon.
Between 2009 and 2013, more than 8,000 miles of oil transmission pipelines have been built in the past five years in the U.S., AOPL spokesperson John Stoody said, compared to the 875 miles TransCanada wants to lay in the states of Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska for its 830,000-bpd project. By last year, the U.S. had built 12,000 miles of pipe since 2010.”
“I have always opposed Keystone XL,” tweeted Democrat presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Monday. “It isn’t a distraction — it’s a fundamental litmus test of your commitment to battle climate change.”
The logic of this man escapes me and he is running to be the President ? . According to his logic if US builds 8000 miles of new oil pipelines it is ok and it results in no environmental harm but 875 miles of KEYSTONE is a litmus test to battle climate change . What nonsense !
The cancelling of the Keystone pipeline has nothing to with US economic interests or the environment . It seems to have everything to do with false posturing for Paris and the 2016 Presidential election . The timing of the decision tells it all .
This Keystone decision illustrates how much the flawed AGW science has infected the world . Here we have a politically timed decision where the Administration has chosen to jettisons its long historical relationship with its closest neighbour just to achieve PR points at a Climate Conference. It will claim brownie points for stopping the expansion of an 875 mile oil pipeline between Canada and US. Unlikely to be mentioned in their presentation may be the fact that, back home it has, at the same time been busy building 12000 miles of new pipelines in its own country while publically objecting to the pipeline from Canada. Unlikely to be mentioned in its presentation also will be the fact that there is no global warming currently happening on all global land areas for the last 10 years. Also not mentioned may be the fact that North American climate has actually been cooling for almost two decades. The same is happening in Asia. Heating oil will be an essential world requirement in the future when the climate cools over the next 30 years .
This decision is very wrong and it will be overturned in my opinion.
None of the politicians running on the Democrat side (Sanders is actually an Independent) have any logic at all. And the Democrat front-runner is considered a liar by over 60% of the public.
Rocky,
Thanks.
As a Brit, I’d appreciate your view of the GOPpers candidates.
Is there a couple of reasonable prospects there, or is their cupboard nearly as bare as the Dems’?
Our new alternative to Cameron – one Corbyn – makes your Sanders look like FDR, Ike, JFK and Ronnie Reagan rolled into one, so, if you have spare prayers, we could badly do with them!
Auto
There seems to be a real risk of oil spills in very sensitive surroundings. Canadian oil will continue to flow through the existing pipeline. The main drawback will be the inaccessibility of native oil at Baker, Montana. Perhaps Obama is counting on the U.S. fracking boom while adjusting his halo for Paris.
Obama is the most ignorant and incompetent President in decades. He is spiteful and incapable of taking criticism. See:
http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/america-has-built-the-equivalent-of-10-keystone-pipelines-since-2010-and-no-one-said-anything
He is neither ignorant nor incompetent. Ignorance: he is very learned in Marxist ideology. Incompetence: his aims to destabilise and “fundamentally change” the US into an uber-socialist society have made sickeningly enormous progress. I would agree that he is spiteful, viciously so in his hatred of America.
I truly wonder if there is going to be another presidential election.
None of this was Obama’s doing. He is merely the mouthpiece.
Mark
Yes, Mark–there are puppet masters controlling Obama, but he’s so ideally suited for the part you can’t see the strings.
Not surprising considering his administration deliberately deregulated the natural gas industry to the point of being immune to enviromental destruction. Clearly Haliburton is one the main sponsors of Obama….which means this pipeline absolutely does not work in their favor.
The pipeline is a much cleaner delivery system for the oil than using oil tankers and railroad tank cars – but then logic is hardly a strong point with those who make decisions by feelings and emotions. (The face of Gaia would be scared by this ugly pipeline running down the middle of the North American continent!)
What and poisoning our water table with 40,000 chemicals is any better? Atleast there’s naturally occuring bacteria that feed fairly quickly on oil. Prime example is the Gulf BP Spill.
The fools never give up.
1) The chemicals aren’t getting into the water supply.
2) They aren’t all that poisonous.
Dog says:
Halliburton… poisoning our water table… & etc.
noaaprogrammer;
You’re right: total ‘feelings and emotions’, no credible facts.
That’s how it always is with that cult, isn’t it?
@MarkW
It’s very well known that waste water used in both drilling and fracking are making their way not only through our water tables, but to the surface:
http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/executive-summary-hydraulic-fracturing-study-draft-assessment-2015
LOL
Ummm…. Dog, did you *read* the study you linked to? If I may quote from the section “Major Findings” in the Executive Summary;
“We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States. Of the potential mechanisms identified in this report, we found specific instances where one or more mechanisms led to impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water wells. The number of identified cases, however, was small compared to the number of hydraulically fractured wells.”
Dog,
You’ve been owned by your own link! LOL!!
The oil is now going (and will continue to go) over the border by train then by existing pipelines. More dangerous, more costly for what? Obama says it is not in the US national interest but has no science and no economic data to back this up. It was an arbitrary decision from an inept President
He may be inept, but he is deliberate in pursuit of his objectives.
And they are?
To quote Obama: The transformation of America. His ideology asserts that America is the problem in the world, not the solution. By the time those of his ilk realize their mistake, it might be too late.
Rocky,
I suspect that those of his ilk look on his works and applaud.
Whether the people of the US will applaud in ten or twenty years [never mind the rest of the world suffering under a [say] EU hegemony involving catastrophic, astronomic levels of bureaucracy; other hegemonies will be available . . . ] is, I think, not assured!
Auto
A clear win for all those Americans who support Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.
the eco-left will celebrate….what? it’s all smoke and mirrors:
3 Nov: Nasdaq: Lynn Cook: Canadian Crude Still Flows to U.S. Despite Keystone Pipeline Delay–Update
(Alison Sider and David George-Cosh contributed to this article)
TransCanada Corp.’s move to postpone the Keystone XL pipeline won’t have much effect on the U.S. energy industry, experts say, largely because American refiners have found other ways to get crude oil from Canada.
Oil imports from Canada set a record in August, averaging 3.4 million barrels a day, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Energy Department.
In fact, the U.S. has bought 64% more Canadian crude so far this year than it did in the same stretch of 2008, the year TransCanada first asked the U.S. government for permission to build the pipeline that would run from Alberta to Texas. That is an extra 1.2 million barrels of oil flowing into the U.S. from Canada every day, or 45% more crude than Keystone XL would have carried had it been constructed…
Trains now carry a lot of oil, including tens of thousands of barrels a day from Canada. Close to 1 million barrels of oil a day moves across the U.S. on oil trains, which act as rolling pipelines that can carry up to 80,000 barrels of crude. More than 10% of all oil hauled by railroads originates in Canada…
TransCanada’s chief executive, Russ Girling, said Tuesday that in the long term oil producers still want to ship crude on Keystone XL, which would be safer and cheaper than using oil trains…
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/canadian-crude-still-flows-to-us-despite-keystone-pipeline-delayupdate-20151103-01178
The only difference is that now, tons more CO2 will be produced in the process of transport. Smooth move Beavis…
…which will benefit the environment that much more, proving that whatever the enviro-wackos do, they end up looking stupid.
This has all been an ideologue’s twaddle versus steely business acumen. It’s a lopsided battle and that Canadian oil will find its way to market.
The goal is to shut down the extraction and transportation of Canadian fossil fuels and not just one pipeline.
and it didn’t take Bill long to get out the spin that the people have spoken –
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/exxon-keystone-and-the-turning-tide-on-fossil-fuels
Close to 1 million barrels of oil a day moves across the U.S. on oil trains, which act as rolling pipelines that can carry up to 80,000 barrels of crude. More than 10% of all oil hauled by railroads originates in Canada…
Which is what this was always about: Billionaires like Warren Buffet who own railroads that transport crude giving millions to democrats to fight the pipelines that would reduce his profits. Environmentalism has always been the green cover story to make it all legit. Google Lac Megantic Disaster to see how environmentally friendly a a crude oil train derailment can be.
The Left’s ideology always goes to the highest bidder.
The score is 10,001 for the gut reaction manipulator lawyers and 0 for the facts, figures, and literate type personalities. Sometimes even Obama can’t help but chuckle at his own sleight of hand victories like shovel ready stimulus. He actually chuckled at the podium once over that one. That is allowed for the lawyer manipulator in chief, but that does not extend to the hired help like Dr. Grubber on manipulating those “stupid” Americans in the ACA power play.
Am I correct in believing that the pipeline was only up for review by the White House because it crossed the international border? Perhaps the Canadians should build their side to beside the border, the load it onto a train to cross the border, and load it onto a pipeline built up to the American side…
Yes, Exxon and its affiliates are working on that and look what it got them in NY with the Attorney General nut job there.
Lay down 100 feet of track across the border. Set a single tanker car on it, straddling the border. Pipe the Canadian oil into it on one end, drain it out of the other end into a pipeline on the US side of the border. Viola!
No I believe the reason the Feds are involved is because the pipeline will cross several State lines.
The Feds are involved because it crosses an international border not state borders. You may have missed the recent revelation that while Obama was masturbating over Keystone XL, over 10 times the length of pipelines have been built within the United States.
Tom in Fl:
Amendment 10th: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
That sure sounds to me like the feds are supposed to keep their noses out of this.
The crossing is at a federal border, and that is one of the powers granted to the feds by the Constitution; if it were an interstate crossing and both states agreed to it, your comment is correct.
Now let’s see the maps of all the other pipelines and rail lines. Well, that would be too messy to put on a map. There are too many of them. Just convert some of the existing pipes for heavy oil like they plan to do anyway and they can go from the current 2x Keystone volume moving over the border now to 3x. Add this to the chuckle list at the WH because they know this fact also.
Here ya go …..
http://chapelboro.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MapofUSpipelines1.jpg
Okay, I’m confused about the dotted line between Cushing and the Gulf Coast. Is this an old version of the map? That was finished first and it contributed to pushing the oil inventory surge on down the line to that storage area along the coast and near the refinery corridor and then to its contribution to depressing global oil prices.
That is an old map. The Cushing Marketlink was built and is in service.
“the dotted line between Cushing and the Gulf Coast” Yes, that part was finished a couple years ago… It looks like this mapa is a copy of the original Keystone project which actually consisted of two sections. Only the part crossing the border to Canada needed ‘divine’ approval.
On another note while the big environmental debate was focused on the front door of keystone… they built lines all around Nebraska, and some right through it, that accomplished the same purpose. A classic use of distraction… I remember reading about two or three of those lines as they were being put into place… each time one was up for approval there would be another media buzz about keystone… and while all were distracted the others were slipped through the back door.
Impressive.
You have to wonder what this disingenuous man has lined up for Paris.
Right, and we find out late in the game as usual
So this isn’t a constitutional amendment, so a President Trump could reverse this stupidity.
And the TAP and the illegal immigration, etc.
Obama’s decision is not surprising. He has been talking about his decision for a long time.
As far as the term “energy policy” goes, anytime you have a socialist policy, you are talking about regulation. As such, we need no energy policy except to leave the energy markets alone. The only energy related policy involved should be coincident with national security, i.e., strategic oil reserves. The markets can pretty much handle everything else, and Obama’s interference with the market will have consequences, but we don’t know those consequences will be. We all know they will most likely be negative.
The market forces are like gravity. They are always there, and they always win. You cannot change human nature, and you cannot replace the market.
The Canadians can let the Chinese pay to build it to Vancouver.
They will be happy to buy that oil and put the screws to Bayrack.
With any luck, it’s just a delay until after the election.
Are you ready for President Hillary Clinton? Even though 60% of the electorate think she’s a liar, I’m giving her even odds of winning the presidency.
Go figure!
@ RockyRoad
Like many, many females in a divorce action.
They want to “destroy” their husband …. even if it costs them every last penny they could hope to gain from the “settlement”.
http://news.sky.com/story/1580781/pipeline-company-asks-for-project-to-be-delayed
So, the president and his administration didn’t have the nerve to outright cancel the pipeline until Keystone XL decided to put the project on hold. Instead of calling a play, he let the clock run out. Bold. Leadership at its finest.
rovingbroker: I loved the news video from the back right of Obama showing the teleprompter rolling ….
And he spits in the face of another ally.
…And relies on that alliance and AGW to “make it okay”.
Obama spits in the face of America, again.
I assume the timing meant his Canadian counterpart is in total agreement with the destruction of Canadian exports, loss of jobs in building KXL, and the risk of transportin their oil by rail car with the inevitable periodic mass fatalities?
Now Tom Steyer can start writing that $1 billion check he promised to the democrats.
Obama’s rejection of Keystone Pipeline is expansion upon his use of Global Warming Scam to harm America.
The major oil companies affected by this latest slap in the face to their continued development of a North American resource will now access their options. Competition for the big ore hauling dump trucks was restricted to three major players. One of the most purchased was the Caterpillar 797 but if Obama doesn’t think the USA benefits from oil sands production then watch for layoffs at the Caterpillar plants that manufacture these machines. Almost every oil sands plant used equipment manufactured in the USA. Well as a former executive of an oil company I can tell you that there are other players out there and the USA is not the only source when it comes to equipment of this type. We have long memories when it comes to who our friends are and under Obama the USA is not what I would call friendly to there northern neighbor..Have a good day.
There are non-American alternatives to Cat. In particular, Euclid is made in Canada.
Canada’s problem is that the US is ten times as big and powerful. Canada’s bargaining position is often quite weak.
1. He gets to hurt U S All with this slow down in oil to be refined in the U S via this pipe line.
2. He gets to hurt any possible sale of oil out side the U S later to help in our balance of trade.
Any time he can hurt U S All it is done, it helps his hate feel better.
This was inevitable ‘Paris leadership’. There is already a parallel pipeline on existing right of way doubling Alberta capacity to Vancouver for export to Asia. China already bought major bitumen sands interests in Alberta. There is a second new west coast pipeline, the Northern Route, that has preliminary route approval except from native american tribes (that is a grease the palms issue, not a major hangup). Essay How NOT to stop KXL. The only remaining question is whether Canada will build an eastern pipeline to the Altantic. If they do, they can stop importing middle east crude to that region and start exporting to Europe.
Meanwhile, does nothing for CO2 emissions while damaging the US/Canada relationship. No wonder ‘bubble boy’ Obummer thinks climate rather than ISIS, Russia, or North Korea is our biggest foreign policy problem. Swiftboat Kerry of course agrees.
ristvan
“does nothing for CO2 emissions”
Exactly. Total hydrocarbons consumed will be determined by demand in the global economy and will have only an infinitesimal variation in response to building/not building the pipeline. The pipeline would have entailed a small savings in fuel as compared with rail transport, and of course rail transport is also associated with a higher rate of accidents, which require the use of hydrocarbons in cleanups. So the effect of this decision will be to increase slightly the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, a paradoxical achievement for an environmentalist president..
By the way, the State Department’s study of the matter reached similar conclusions.
… except from native american tribes (that is a grease the palms issue, not a major hangup).
The native palms have been greased by US environmental activist organizations. It is a deliberate policy of these colonialists to go after the natives.
The greatest obstacle to energy infrastructure projects isn’t technical expertise or financial capital; it’s gridlock due to opposition from strong alliances between environmental organizations and First Nations and their ability to attract media attention and stop or stall development. This gridlock has been fomented by the Tar Sands Campaign, a heavily-funded international initiative launched by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Tides Foundation in 2008.
http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/vivian-krause-new-u-s-funding-for-the-war-on-canadian-oil
http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2014/07/vivian-krause-great-green-trade-barrier/
The oil sands smear campaign was funded by U.S. interests but not many people in either country know this.
Then there are those in Canada who took the money and people need to know who they are as well.
POTUS views Trudeau as weak compared to Harper and then Trudeau’s appointments backed this up. Sure this was done for the Paris COP21 show.
Pelosi had a meeting in Ottawa with Rick Smith, Environmental Defence Canada, and Marlo Raynolds of Pembina back in September 2010 at the U.S. Embassy when she was U.S. House Speaker.
Rep.Ed Markey, now Sen.Ed Markey, was also at that September 2010 Ottawa meeting.
Rmember Waxman-Markey, Cap-and-Trade back in c.2009?
TSS/Tar Sands Solutions Network, Sept.10, 2010
‘Our pitch to Pelosi’
Article mentions the Keystone XL pipeline.
http://www.tarsandssolutions.org/in-the-media/our-pitch-to-pelosi
INET/International Institute for Economic Thinking, New York
Drummond Pike
Founded Tides in 1976 and stepped down as CEO of Tides Network in October 2011
Pike served on the Board of Tides Canada.
http://ineteconomics.org/community/experts/dpike
Marlo Raynolds joined BluEarth Renewables, Calgary, Sept.3.,2012
This is a renewable energy company engaged in wind energy projects.
Google for more information if anyone is interested
Tides Foundation Board includes:
Joanie Bronfman, Chair. and also served on Tides Canada Board.
http://www.tides.org/about/board
Joanie Bronfman is a Segram’s heiress
TSS/Tar Sands Solutions Network
Steering Committee includes:
Katie Colorulli, Sierra Club, USA
Bill McKibben, 350.org
http://www.tarsandssolutions.org/about/steering-committee
TSSN Member Groups include:
350.org
Greenpeace Canada
NRDC
Rockefeller Brothers’ Fund
Sierra Club U.S.
http://www.tarsandssolutions.org/about/network-members
Ironic that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund is based on oil profits!!!
TSS/Tar Sands Solutions Network Steering Committee includes:
David Turnbull: http://www.tarsandssolutions.org
Google: “Camps and Schools 5/14/03” and scroll down to page bottom.
David Turnbull, junior at Dartmouth, s/o Bruce H. and Susan W. Turnbull, Bethesda
OMICS International
Susan W. Turnbull, member of Democratic National Committee 1992-2011 and Vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee 2005-2009. Sons Joshua and David Turnbull.
http://www.research.omicsgroup.org/index.php/Susan_Turnbull
Relationship?
So what else is new? How many times has he rejected the Keystone Pipeline? Hopefully the new GOP president will approve it, if the Canadians can wait that long.
Bill Mckibben was on NPR saying that this year is the hottest year the planet has ever seen.
http://www.npr.org/2015/11/06/455049068/environmentalists-cheer-keystone-xl-pipeline-decision-as-decisive-moment
at 3:20
Bill Mckibben is a liar
Bill McKibben’s a perfect fit for NPR- aka government radio.
BTW, McKibben also said that the Antarctic is melting quickly, despite NASA’s recent announcement that Antarctica is gaining ice mass. I’m not taking time to count all of his factual “errors”, but there were many.
None of his statements were challenged.
I guess he wasn’t living in the 1930’s…
the hottest year the planet has ever seen.
================
ever? how about millions of years ago, before there was ice at the north and south poles?
If it was, it was by 0.04C + or – 0.1 of error. But of course they really like saying 2.89C above the 1990 average. 2.89C is all scary while 0.04C is not…
The hottest year the planet has every had? I think you jest, sir.
Maybe the hottest year based on adjusted data (always upward) from improperly situated land based thermometers.
And even then, so what? Are you a climate denier? Climate changes. We are living in an ice age, defined as permanent ice caps on both poles. As you don’t know, we are living in one of the most demonstrably unstable epochs of climate known. The ice age, in which we live, is unprecedented. Think on that. During the last 400 million years, there has been nothing like our ice age, as far as climate scientists know. There was a “snowball” earth maybe, but that was an entirely different affair.
Of course the timeing was intentional. Right before Paris.
This decision won’t benefit the environment. It certainly won’t benefit the economy.
It’s all about ideology and paying off friends.
Just like every other decision made by the idiot currently residing at the WH.
Russia will be pleased.
Russia Today gave non-stop coverage to all the protests and “concerns”, throughout the years of delay.
Including repeated airing of this very “emotive” documentary film. “Above All Else”.
I noticed, that I never hear about pipeline projects in Russia which have been curtailed or abandoned due to so-called “grassroots” protests.
Unfortunately “grassroots” protests are really anything but. Somebody must first sow the seeds.
People now willingly protest for state control of the things that they willingly use and need.
Never understanding who is pulling the strings.
Here’s a trailer for the documentary that was aired repeatedly on Russia Today. The world will never run out of useful idiots:
For useful reference – we are all aware of the existence of NIMBY’s = Not In My Back Yard.
Whereas we are now living in the age of the BANANA’s = Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone!!
Unless its a wind farm or solar
Yeah, people seem to like the idea of erecting lots of industrial scale wind turbines very near to OTHER PEOPLE!!
As long as it’s not somewhere where they like to spend any time. 🙂
This was a no-brainer for Obama politically.
12 months until the election. He will be able to tout this to get the green vote for the dems. Most of that oil would be tar sand derived oil, which isn’t economic in this price environment so even if it would have been approved, the oil wouldn’t be coming here any time soon. Once prices improve (post-Obama) & we need the oil here, there is nothing to stop it being reconsidered at this point.
Bottom line – Obama had nothing to gain politically by approving it & nothing to loose by nixing it (for now).
This should come as no surprise to anyone & should be viewed as a purely political move. It also should be recognized there is nothing to stop this being re-considered in the future – even if the Canadians in the mean time build pipe to the west coast & ship oil to China – there is still plenty of oil from the tar sands that could be brought to market to the US if Keystone gets future approval.
This will be marked by historians as the high-water mark of the extreme leftist period movement in America…
Other than securing huge campaign donation for DEMs from mega-rich enviro-wacko activists (i.e. Tom Steyer), this stupid announcement accomplishes nothing.
Only around 25% of Americans were opposed to Keystone, which is political suicide as Obama just ticked off the other 75% of American voters in a big way…
The timing of this 7-yr Keystone “decision” being just a few weeks before the Paris Left-Fest is very sad. Obama would sacrifice 10’s of THOUSANDS of good-paying jobs so he’ll have a talking point when reading grandiose speeches off his teleprompter in Paris…
I can’t wait…
All Obama has done is: squander 10,000 high-paying jobs, make the US less energy secure, increase US energy prices, and give China a big windfall, who will gladly purchase Canada’s oil….
I want to puke.
“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
Mark Twain
People do not realize that Marxists have taken over the Democratic Party in the last 15 years and that their party is now essentially a Marxist/Communist party. There is no appreciable difference between the Communist Party platform now or the Democratic Socialists of America and the Democratic Party.
The Democrat Party has been sold out to unions, and the unions have been sold out… Twenty five years ago it was the unions who were militantly opposed to illegal immigration. They hated them. It cost them jobs, lowered wages and working conditions… and because in those days the unions were controlled by people who actually cared about their membership. Now they’re controlled by Marxists. You hear about revolution and a one party state. They’re unions selling their own members down the river…
America is making its last stand now. If we don’t win in 2016, that’s really over for the American dream, the American economy and everything else. If America goes down, who will defend freedom from that point?”
“There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter; from the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence…” ~Daniel Webster
who give granted money to Karl Marx ?
SORRY : who granted money to Karl Marx
The best way to reduce ghg is nuclear power. The biggest anti-nukes in office in DC are the Clintons, Harry Reid, Obama, and Bernie Sanders. Yet they claim to be leaders in the fight to reduce ghg. One of the reason I am not concerned about climate change is the rejection rate of good solutions. Shipping jobs from the US will only reduce our emission while polluting countries with lack regulations.
There is a reason I am now enjoying retirement. My last 6 years in nuclear power was designing new reactors while the first part of my career was starting up new reactors. What a hoot. The best president for energy and the environment was Bush. Effective policies last. The US is building four new nukes. Jimmy Carter who?
…and I used to operate them and analyze events. The subsidizing of favored ways to generate electricity is forcing reactors to be retired before their useful lives are up – a loss of real wealth and productivity. In the meantime, China is building wall-to-wall nuclear power plants: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/10/22/china-shows-how-to-build-nuclear-reactors-fast-and-cheap/
(their plan appears to mesh well with the predicted eventual peaking and reduction of coal mining in China)
This makes Obama responsible for the next death and destruction that may occur when a train carrying oil derails and crashes. Such derailing have already happened in the past and will surely reoccur.
Jaroslaw Sobieski, Hampton
The next train/oil disaster will play out just like previous ones. In other words, there will be so little US news coverage of the event that few will even know that there was a disaster.
Anyone would think that pipelines never break in this country, happens multiple times a year.
I know. The oil spills on the ground. Where it came from,…..
David Ball November 7, 2015 at 7:26 am
I know. The oil spills on the ground. Where it came from,…..
Like the Refugio spill in may where ~150,000 gal of crude ended up in the ocean?
Or the spill into the Yellowstone River in January?
Or last october the spill of 168,000 gal in Louisiana?………………
Obama rejects the Keystone XL pipeline. A most deplorable decision for the economy and the environment.
The President has decided to deny the permission to build the Keystone XL pipeline, thus satisfying the environmentalists that want to wean us off our dependency on carbon based products, such as fuel, food and fertilizer. The arguments for denying the decision are nearly exclusively political, while the arguments to build the pipeline are concerns for our national security and economy.
Here is the deal:
Canada has the tar-sands and is extracting the oil. This was not our decision. If we don’t buy the oil, China will.
We are importing crude oil from the Middle East (Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, etc.), Nigeria, Venezuela and other volatile places, leaving us exposed to supply and price disruptions.
We export refined products to the Caribbean islands, which by the way have a larger carbon footprint per person than the U.S. This is good business, since the islands are too small for a refinery.
It takes more energy to run a refinery up north in a cold climate than in hot, humid Baytown, Texas.
more… http://lenbilen.com/2015/11/06/obama-rejects-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-a-most-deplorable-decision-for-the-economy-and-the-environment/
How about that section from Nebraska to the Gulf. Is that being built? That would help a lot. Can’t believe the Bamster has any control there. Anyone know?
Never mind. Answered above. took a while to read thru all.
Unfortunately, President Obama is not so much an idiot as a careful teleprompter reader of Saul Alinsky’s assault against Western Civilization.
I fear for our country over the next 15 months or so, because impeachment with removal from office is off the table. Unless somebody in the Democrat Party can “speak truth to power,” how can we foresee any resistance to even anti-constitutional actions from the President and his handlers?
Therefore, especially after the election in 2016, President Obama might well amaze everybody with his “death spasms.”
So long, Keystone, it’s been good to know ya.
I read this website daily and have never felt compelled to comment until now. I suffer to understand the science being spewed. Having spent my career in the transportation of energy through pipelines, I have a unique understanding of the engineering, regulations, maitenance and associated risks. My hands have carried tons of shovel dirt, my pen has signed off on engineering designs and everything in between.
I don’t know who is advising O’Bobble or even if he is open to suggestion, but a modern pipeline that is properly engineered, designed, and maintained represents as close to zero risk as anything I can think of from a transportation perspective. Understanding of DOT pipeline regulations would assure all of the above. Those who object often point to pipeline failures from post WWII pipeline relics that have failed. A reasonable argument can be made for those being replaced. Modern pipelines are far superior in design, metallurgy, corrosion control and maintenance. I expect they’ll last hundreds of years(if not more), way past their usefulness.
The oil is coming out of the ground, that is an obsolete. The most environmentally benign, economical, and safe method of transporting energy molecules, is through a pipeline.
If a project is good for America, Obama is against it. It’s as simple as that–the guy is anti-American!
There wasn’t any science involved; it was pure greenie politics, and timed for COP21, which is also pure greenie politics. It’s all designed to prop up the failing climatist industry and push world-wide socialist government, sticking a knife in the heart of democracy.
JPP
Agree – where the start and end points are fixed for years [decades, even – you suggest – centuries].
But sometimes – due to the vagaries of the market – the oil [or gas, or LNG] traders buy a cargo without knowing where it will go [read that as – ‘where it will make them the most profit’].
A good pipeline network may allow that parcel to go to its destination.
Shipping, however, gives a huge flexibility after sale, and so an ability to react to market fluctuations.
Indeed, also to sit and wait.
In the 1980s there were about 5 VLCCs, laden – so about 1,250,000 tonnes of crude; sitting at anchor off Brunei.
It was assumed that this was Saudi run-out money – but the ships spent at least a couple of years there.
And cricket was played every Saturday, on deck, weather permitting.
When looking back at the keystone pipeline only proper presentation historically is as political theater.
Since we are currently building about 1000 to 2000 miles of oil pipeline a year, cheering the halt to the Keystone pipeline is about as stupid as it gets. Whenever we need an additional pipeline or additional pipelines from Canada we’ll build them and like the thousands of miles of oil pipelines built in the last 5 years the eco-activists will be clueless.
So while it is political gloating for eco-fundamentalists, I mean eco-fascists, er I mean eco-activists, the truly concerning thing for me is that 25% of the nation actually thinks this will reduce the temperature of the earth. That is what is scary. And this ain’t even the people who believe in Noah’s ark.
So, they figure trucking it in will be better?
Inevitable logic and economics will prevail eventually…
Back in January CNN did a poll that said Americans favored the Keystone pipeline by a margin of 2 to 1, 57% in favor and 28% opposed (15% didn’t have an opinion). But, he’s not accountable anymore in terms of re-election so he can do whatever he wants I guess.
Amen, Craig. The controversy over Keystone is among the most bogus ever fabricated by today’s self-styled progressives. To say nothing of nothing of the lunacy of demonizing an infrastructure projects, the pipeline was obviously in the national interest on economic and foreign policy grounds. The only issue was it’s potential environmental impacts, and State’s environmental reviews repeatedly concluded that if permission to build were denied, the oil would still flow south, it would just get here by other routes, chiefly rail, that would have more oil spills, more fatal accidents, and emit more CO2 per barrel delivered. For the details, seehttp://www.globalwarming.org/2014/11/17/no-brainer-senate-should-approve-keystone-xl/
The dead parrot that was the Keystone XL pipeline and why Obama killed it
For many reasons, Keystone became of symbol of everything that was wrong on the environment front
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/keystone-obama-neil-macdonald-1.3308385
Front Page Magazine, Feb.21, 2012
‘How The Rockefeller Fund Killed Keystone’
Follow the money. This article was written more than three years ago.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/123248/how-rockefeller-fund-killed-keystone-jacob-laksin
Another piece of irony:the Rockefeller Fund exists because old John D. used pipelines to break Vanderbilt’s railway monopoly!!!
The enviros will try to spin this as a win but fact is the Canadian companies have already figured out how to get it to the east coast and ship it to India for refining.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-08/keystone-be-darned-canada-finds-oil-route-around-obama
So it will get burnt either way. Pity that the extra CO2 won’t prevent the resumption of glaciation but at least we’ll have good crops until then.
I believe (among other reasons) Obama killed Keystone as it will be a keystone of his positioning the US as the Gloal Environmental leader at COP21. (He’s looking for his “legacy”.) Plus,this lets the railways owned by his friend Mr. Buffet continue shipping oil on the trains of “liquid death” (to steal a phrase, tongue firmly in cheek).
A number of rail loading facilities have been built and more are planned in Canada to ship oil by rail. Let the wheels roll.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/15/us-crude-rail-exxon-mobil-idUSKBN0KO1W620150115
Many references to other terminals here:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=huge+oil+rail+terminal+in+edmonton&t=ffab
Another day there will be a different President and a different Prime Minister and the US will slow down importing oil from Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia and ISIS by Ship and buy North American.
It’ll be alright in the end; and if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.
Obama’s gift to OPEC
As an Albertan i would say that the real damage was already done, largely through the delay, after delay, after delay. The pipeline was originally targeted for completion in what, 2011?
Oil producers missed out on the price boom which has come and gone.
For what it’s worth I don’t think anyone has done more to revive the legacy of George W. Bush than Mr. Obama.
Warren Buffet probably added another $10 Million to Obama’s Panama bank account. That dude makes billions shipping crude by rail.
Not unexpected, the whole idea is to create false scarcity, cartels, concentration of wealth. There’s a good zerohedge article on how cap and trade is a scam that requires the suppression of ‘deniers’.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-05/it-begins-new-york-attorney-general-cracks-down-exxon-over-climate-crimes-global-war
http://www.lemonde.fr/energies/article/2015/11/06/keystone-barack-obama-enterre-un-symbole-du-rechauffement-climatique_4804937_1653054.html
but this is not the most important problem –
There was an article in one of the UK papers recently that I could not quite understand but it seems apposite to this post if abandoning Keystone means more oil is carried by rail.
The article spoke of a TIH (Toxic Inhalation Hazard ) directive which meant that unless the freight companies upgraded the rail cars, and that has not happened yet, the transport of such materials (including oil?) would cease nationwide on 31Dec 2015.
That seems implausible , so was the article incorrect or did I completely misunderstand it?
No, transportation will not cease but there are new regulations for rail tanker cars that go into effect.
http://www.bdlaw.com/news-1626.html
U.S. Department of Transportation, May 8, 2015
P.26719: Crude Oil Transport by Rail
http://gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-05-08/pdf/2015-10670.pdf
Barbara thank you for enlightening me . I can understand the journalist having some difficulty reducing the info in the Federal Register into just a couple of paragraphs . The proposals seem very sensible, and, given the statistics in the report on the increase in hazardous material being sent by rail since the end of the recession, timely and necessary legislation.
The Saudi King must think all his virgins have arrived early.
What a wonderful gift to the Saudis from Oh Bummer.
What a right royal jerk.
Donald Trump et al must be doing their calculations right now as to whether this is a massive own goal by the Democratic President soon to be leaving office….
If it is, they will make hay promising to reverse the decision in January 2017 by Presidential Decree………
“Tens of thousands of jobs” on a pipeline that will be maintained by 400 people. Right.
You don’t know much about this stuff, do you?
Care to enlighten us ?
prjindigo November 7, 2015 at 3:25 am
“Tens of thousands of jobs” on a pipeline that will be maintained by 400 people. Right.
Are large buildings, once they are built, maintained by thousands of people. Construction jobs are almost by definition not long term.
Stupid as always, but it does give the railroads more business. I see “unit trains” now, made of nothing but (often brand new) tank cars. They move south — I assume from the northern plains/Canada.
Almost daily I walk for a few miles in a wonderful stretch of national park along the Chattahoochee River. Directly under my feet runs a pipeline which daily carries about 100 million gallons of refined petroleum products to New York. In perfect silence. With zero dust, soot, or VOCs. This stretch of parkland only exists because of the pipeline right-of-way. Nearby the pipeline continues in the yards of million dollar homes.
Now imagine what this area would be like if 30+ miles of loaded cars passed by each day (one mile-long train every 45 minutes) and a similar number of empties returned on this route. This is what the “greens” would have wanted and our president would have willingly served their cause. Luckily he was about 4 years old when this pipeline was built and was unable to obstruct the pipeline at that time.
This was purely a symbolic win for the greenie eco-fscist oil-haters, but we shouldn’t underestimate the power of symbolism for them. Since all of their arguments are pseudoscientific emotionalism, symbolism is an important part of their toolkit.
The last sentence “At the White House sound understanding of science, energy and the environment have left the building.” is incorrect.
At the White House sound understanding has left the building.
You are narrowing it down too much. And I would concede that there is a very strong case for it never arriving when Obama took over in all that fanfare. Pretty much mirrors the hope here that Blair would achieve something good but we soon realised the truth and have been paying the price ever since. Even now his younger ‘brother’ is in charge.
So Canada’s best friend and trading partner the USA, has turned into a back stabbing gitts (“Giving In To The Sphincter”)
Is there any foreign relations that Obummr hasn’t screwed up ?
The right decision for the wrong reason. The 350 day trial of the commercial 1 MW thermal LENR plant has running well for eight months. Official results due Feb/Mar 2016
On other news, President Obama has also stopped sea levels from rising.
Andrew
Andrew,
Wonderful news!
So Obama the Great has achieved what Canute the Great, King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden, failed to do, and controlled the tides.
Canute – of course – was intent on proving to his lick-spittles that he was human.
Obama – like me a Nobel Laureate, and I’m not sure why in either case; although I suppose I was a citizen of the EU at the relevant time . . . . – may have his godhood in mind.
I guess abolishing eclipses, or the precession of the equinox, will also be accomplished before the witching hour in 2017.
If Obama is granted extra time, will be halt the expansion of the universe?
[Mods/ the above can be considered as (ever-so-slightly) /Sarc. Just saying.]
Auto astounded at the powers of the present – pre-eminent – Potus.
Hard to believe some liberals fell for this scam !!! A utility company claims if you voluntarily agree to pay extra every month , they will only send ” GREEN ” electrons to your home !!!! Seriously !!!
http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/31483448:WKEyJ8yNG:m:1:752120182:7241D5BDF8C67F8B85BE6E3F6B9A3D92:r
Obama Explains Why He “Rejected” Keystone XL Pipeline Days After Transcanada Withdraws Application.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-06/obama-rejects-keystone-xl-pipeline-days-after-transcanada-withdraws-application
As a New Zealander living in Germany I am outside the window looking in,) This decades politicians ( no matter where ) have a collective IQ zero! if you listen there is not one world leader who says I, its always WE, the international “train wreck” is in the station, and the American President being who he is, should have been in the signal box before the train started is voyage ! The bureaucratic asylum has run out of toilet paper, so the “sh-t” is running out the door onto the platform.
By Susan Duclos – All News PipeLine
We hear a lot about an agenda to create a One World” economy, religion, government, etc… just to see it waved away by those that are led like sheep by the mainstream media as a “conspiracy,” with suggestions of going out to buy a tin foil hat or three, but for those that just open their eyes and use any search engine, information on this agenda is there right out in the open.
One of the biggest lies told to date and more importantly the purpose for that lie, can be found on the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe website.
3 February 2015 – The Top UN Climate Change Official is optimistic that a new international treaty will be adopted at Paris Climate Change conference at the end of the year. However the official, Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, warns that the fight against climate change is a process and that the necessary transformation of the world economy will not be decided at one conference or in one agreement.
“This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model, for the first time in human history”, Ms Figueres stated at a press conference in Brussels.
“This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the industrial revolution. That willnot happen overnight and it will not happen at a single conference on climate change, be it COP 15, 21, 40 – you choose the number. It just does not occur like that. It is a process, because of the depth of the transformation.”
.
And her brother, Jose, is operating out of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado.
Utility company promises to only send you electrons made with renewable energy IF you voluntarily pay extra ?? I didn’t know they could tell the difference once they were in the power lines !! Truly amazing….
http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/31483448:WKEyJ8yNG:m:1:752120182:7241D5BDF8C67F8B85BE6E3F6B9A3D92:r
Does this President think that he’s some sort of American Hitler? The American people have failed him so he decides to destroy the American economy? Somebody should do one of those Downfall skits with “Obama” ranting at his failed generals.
What a waste of 7 years and millions of dollars. No wonder the Chinese are kicking our butts. Do you think they would have even paused before approving such a project? Unlikely.
I think the company should have known a long time ago that the eco-zealots would not allow Obama to approve this, so their strategy was simply naïve. They should have simply gone ahead and built the pipeline, excluding a couple hundred feet at the border crossing, since that’s the only area Obama has authority over. Then Obama can decide if trucks driving back and forth 300 ft across the border is protecting the environment better than a 300ft segment of pipeline.
The good news is that all of this crap will be reversed with a stroke of the pen the day our next President is sworn in.
It is open enrollment season, and there are a lot of very angry folks getting news of increased premiums and worse coverage and huge new deductibles.
The KXL decision is not seen as hurting people in their wallets right now, which is the likely reason that now was the time to announce this long-ago decided and foregone conclusion.
Fat chance of another scaremongering, tax hiking, middle-class-squeezing, regulatory nightmare-loving liberal getting elected anytime soon.
All Americans should read this 1962 tract by Jan Kozak of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on how to use the levers and rules of democratic parliaments to morph them into socialism. It is entitled “Not a shot is fired”. It is clear that your president has read it, probably informed of it by EU socialists, or UN ideologues.
http://www.robertwelchuniversity.org/Not%20a%20Shot.pdf
In Canada the CBC, mostly taxpayer funded, think BBC,ABC in print, TV and radio is serving up an ever increasing barrage of “climate Change” BS, leading upto Paris party. This is the same outfit along with the other main media outlets offered up an endless anti Harper, anti conservative biased coverage leading to the election of a liberal left flower child.
President Obama’s thinking must have gone like this: “We choose to have our oil supplies from war zones, not because it’s easy but because it’s hard. Unfortunately Canada is not one of them (yet), so Keystone XL does not make sense”.
I find it interesting to say but after looking over all the candidates Trump is the only one.
nc
Jeeeeeeeeez!
Ummm, whilst the standards of candidates for office in the West may be around the lower shin bone – see George Tetley November 7, 2015 at 7:40 am, above – surely a nation of 315,000,000 people, plus domestic pets, sentient robots, and the sculptures at Mount Rushmore, can do better than the Delite-ful Donald.
Yeah – we in the UK have Cameron, a tolerably competent hack; plus Corbyn[!????!]; Farage; and the one who is emphatically not Nick Clegg – and not-Farage; plus any number of red-nationalists, who’ll relegate us to the fourth division if allowed anywhere near the levers of power.
So we don’t have a lot to talk about.
But Trump?
Auto
Oligarchist? No thanks. I will take Sanders any day even if I disagree with him on global warming. I don’t buy into the political paranoia displayed on this board.
On the other hand, I go to liberal boards an complain bitterly about why overpopulation isn’t the environmental issue of out time as it was in the 60’s. We have added 1 billion people to the planet every 12/13 years since 1974 and are expected to continue at that rate till 2050 till we reach ten billion of us. In the last 50 years we have lost half the animals on the planet and global warming had nothing to do with it.
Call me an equal opportunity basher.
Exactly which “half of the animals on earth” have disappeared?
I know of only a few species – all very rare and in very, very small enclaves – that have actually been declared extinct the past 50 years.
David G Mills,
After the complete hash the current Administration has made of things, including the Keystone rejection, Obamacare, the #1 Democrat contender being investigated for essentially treason (but none would dare call it that), the hordes of illegal flooding onto the country uopposed, and the “climate change” nonsense, I don’t see someone who’s been a successful businessman being a bad choice at all.
People have to be careful to look at what a person does, and not be swayed by what is said about them by their opponents. Alinsky’s Rule #13:
Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and ‘frozen.’
Ask yourself: why are they singling out and freezing someone? The answer is clear: because that person is their biggest threat. More Alinsky:
Any target can always say, ‘Why do you center on me when there are others to blame as well?’ When your ‘freeze the target,’ you disregard these (rational but distracting) arguments.
So Donald Trump must be singled out and frozen. He has accomplished a lot in life; much more than any of his detractors. He has created no serious enemies prior to being a candidate. By all accounts, Trump is honest (anyone in business like that has to be honest, or they will soon have a reputation that ends future buisness deals). Even his ex says good things about him, and she rejects the attacks as overblown hype.
Trump is running against people who will not do the one thing that would take the oxygen out of his campaign: no one is willing to say they will control our birders. Every other candidate in both parties runs that question past their in-house focus groups and pollsters. The result is triangulation: they are wishy-washy about that very serious threat to our national existence!
So Trump keeps rising in the polls, based more than anything on his stated policy of controlling America’s borders. The only counter to that is the worn out attack of: “Racist!”
But that won’t win elections any more. Americans can see that the present Administration is projecting: they are as racist as anyone, and more than most folks are in 2015. There is only one reason for opening the borders to everyone in the world who wants to come and cash in on American taxpayer largesse:
Now you just can’t make this stuff up
http://joannenova.com.au/2015/11/davies-uk-m-p-quotes-ipcc-in-parliament-as-a-reason-to-be-skeptical/
OOPs wrong link, this is what I wanted to post in now you just can’t make this stuff up
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/climate-change-oil-companies-who-pays-1.3308253?cmp=rss
A Buffett/BNSF train derailed overnight in Wisconsin. 32 cars off the tracks, including some tanker cars. Nothing has spilt.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-07/another-buffett-owned-oil-tanker-train-derails-wisconsin-one-day-after-obama-kills-k
You posted a day too soon. The oil is flowing down the Mississippi.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-wisconsin-train-derailment-20151108-story.html
FTOP_T November 8, 2015 at 4:47 pm
You posted a day too soon. The oil is flowing down the Mississippi.
Not oil, alcohol!
@Phil – The alcohol derailment was so yesterday 😉
They had a second derailment today with oil released into the Mississippi
I wonder why he took no questions at the announcement
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/17/trains-are-carrying-and-spilling-a-record-amount-of-oil/
The fact that Saudi Arabia is pumping out oil at full throttle, tanking the price of oil, and driving every small operator out of business, couldn’t have anything to do with it, could it? To me it makes sense for now.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/how-harper%e2%80%99s-old-schoolmate-helped-kill-the-keystone-xl/ar-CC4lYc?ocid=spartandhp
This article is essentially an open and honest admission that Bill McKibben and 350.org whipped Keystone opposition into a frenzy using the money and influence of Democrat leaning billionaires and activist scientists. Giving the wailing and gnashing that goes on, despite the [in]ability to prove, that any skeptics have received any industry money of note it’s hilarious that McKibben and his ilk can literally manufacture a so-called grass roots campaign with special interest groups and money from the so-called elites and not be asked a single question about it.
Shell says it halted oil sands project over pipeline uncertainty
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/shell-says-it-halted-oil-sands-project-over-pipeline-uncertainty/article27163170/
Looking on as a Brit., this is sad news indeed from a country which used to be seen as the country that had the drive and energy to create industry and commerce, with the resultant jobs following in in its wake, and an economic growth that was envied by every country in the world. How the mighty can fall so easily when led by a President who is the puppet of the powerful mindless eco zealots, and other powerful left wing voices which seem to form the basis of his government. I just hope that the attention of our own Mr Cameron has been brought to this unbelievable decision, and that he doesn’t follow the path of stupidity expressed by his US counterpart. We can be thankful that the American people can cast him into obscurity soon and append his name to the list of the worst Presidents in the history of your country, and hope that his successor will attempt to reverse the many mindless decisions that have been made by Obama during his too long period of office.
I am not surprised. His constant delays told us that he would cancel XL when his green advisers thought the time was ripe for it. And the time is now. For a nominally presidential decision.
Another train derailment oil spill. Right on cue.
I saw that in the paper. Canadian oil train derailed. Wisconsin could have had a nice clean oil pipeline but no, they get leaky oil cars sitting on the ground. The stupidity of the greens is becoming legendary.
Obama’s decision can only be explained by politics (i.e. his desire to pander to the environmental left and to create a “climate legacy”) and not by any proper consideration of either the merits of the Keystone pipeline or the interests of the United States. The environmentalists think that this will stop the development of Canada’s oil sands. It will not. What has happened is that the sharp drop in international oil prices has reduced considerably the incentive to invest in new oil sands development, so oil companies are prudently using their funds elsewhere. The projects now producing and the new ones almost built will continue, and the oil will be moved to market by any means possible, whether that is construction of new pipelines, expansion of existing ones or construction of new rail capacity. Building a new rail line across the Canada-U.S. border does not require a Presidential Permit. The Gulf coast refineries that would have used the Canadian oil will now import it from Venezuela and other foreign sources whose policies are far less friendly to the United States. Emissions will not be affected at all; in fact, because of less efficient rail movement, they might actually increase. Canadians, however, have learned an important lesson. The United States is not a reliable trading partner. It does not honour its commitments under the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA to treat Canadian suppliers on a non-discriminatory basis. In fact, more broadly, the United States Administration has no regard whatsoever for fair dealings with Canada or consideration of Canada’s interests as an economic partner in North America. Americans may trivialize the importance of that lesson for Canadians, but it is a bad precedent that will definitely come home to roost someday.
Why should building a rail line across the border not require pResidential approval, yet approval is required for a pipeline?
Unless somebody’s hiding something?
@ Curtis , “Just wait until the U.S. requires fresh water from Canada.”. Right now BC is renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty “agreement” ( 1951 WAC Bennett expires soon). NOTHING in the news about that, As far as I can tell ( and I have been living within a few hundred feet of a lake in the interior. The US is already drawing water way beyond levels I have seen in the past. I hope the El Nino in next few months replenishes the western US reservoirs and that the people down there stop tearing down dams and letting water run into the Pacific to save a few fish. Kid thee not, those fish will come back. But humans (for the lack of water ) not so much.
“oil sand” ou “tar sand” ce sont ce qu’on appelle les sables bitumeux, une merde immonde de sorte de bitume qui se trouve mélangé à du sable en un boue infecte. Ils pompent cette merde et doivent y ajouter des produits chimiques hyper-toxiques pour les liquéfier de façon à ce qu’ils passent dans les oléoducs (pipelines). Les ordures voulaient faire passer un énorme pipeline d’Atabhasca en Alberta (Canada) jusqu’au Golfe du Mexique en traversant tous les territoires indiens à l’avenant.
Obama n’est pas un altruiste, si çà servait les intérêts de big oil et de ses potes de wall street, il aurait donné le feu vert, mais voilà, à 45US$ le baril de brent… çà ne vaut plus le coût, toutes ces opérations de gaz de schiste et de sables bitumeux ne sont plus rentables. Cà le redevient à plus de 90US$ le baril… ce temps là est révolu !
Ce KXL était un cauchemar écologique et une ignominie quoi qu’il en soit.”
this is the reply of a friend – Obama took his decision only because the cost is too high now – and not for protection of the land
If the President is this bad on
energy policy it indicates that
there may be no limits to how
bad a climate agreement he may sign in Paris.
____
agreed, to sad.
And agreed canadian and us people know about the bounties nature cared for – e.g. stored tar sands.
There’s live past Paris and bet there will be live after Obama.
Best Regards – Hans
President Obama’s bad decision indicates that his White House is truly captive to the radical eco-left.
More like he is captive to the multi-billionaire Warren Buffet and Warren’s railroad.
The oil still moves…but by rail.
The radical environmentalists have only won the award ‘biggest dupes’.
There has already been an oil train derailment in Wisconsin. I saw the story in the paper today. So the oil is not moving by train it is leaking into the ground. I told all the greenies I work with that the spill was their fault since they campaigned against the pipeline. They were not amused but I thought it was pretty funny. 🙂
A verrry long time ago a friend of mine was sitting next to Margaret Trudeau and the baby Trudeau on an aeroplane. She went to the toilet and asked him to hold the said thing. It threw up on him. A foretaste.
Kid must have known something.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat decision Barry you ole America hater you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/The-Protectors-of-the-St-Lawrence-River-Time-For-Change-451363881709850/ and savetheriver@riseup.com.