Discussion for article #232666
The President should sue Congress for usurping his Executive powers. Teach the Constitutionalists a lesson.
Not strictly related to KXL, but still…
“Developing wind power off the Atlantic Coast would create twice as many jobs and produce twice as much energy as opening the area to oil and gas drilling — and it would avoid worsening the climate disruption that’s already taking a toll on the region.” Every day the wind blows. And every day is another day that the wealthiest, most technologically advanced, and self-proclaimed greatest nation on earth still doesn’t have a single offshore wind farm operating along any of its more than 12,000 miles of coastline. Pathetic.
From my favorite blog, Slacktivist.
Fuck each and every Dem who voted for this sludgeline.
I’m against dealing with them in any way that allows room for confusion along the punishment-reward messaging continuum.
I prefer they get what this guy got - less room for confusion.
We need a list of Dems who voted for this so we know who has been bought off and can’t be trusted. I know Claire McCaskill was one.
Here are the nine Senate Democrats who voted for Keystone:
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Michael Bennet, Colo.
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Thomas Carper, Del.
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Robert Casey, Pa.
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Joe Donnelly, Ind.
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Heidi Heitkamp, N.D.
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Joe Manchin, W. Va.
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Claire McCaskill, Mo.
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Jon Tester, Mont.
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Mark Warner, Va.
You know, I used to be rabidly against the pipeline. Now, I’m ambivalent about it. We already have tar sands oil traveling in pipelines over a good portion of our country. Much of it travels in old pipelines. Canada is currently exporting 3 million barrels of the gunk a day to the US, the XL pipeline will only handle 800,000 plus bpd. It’s a just a question of rail and/or older re-purposed pipelines for the extra 800,000 bpd without XL. We will be getting that 800,000 bpd to our refineries one way, or another. I’d rather it be a new safer pipeline rather than adapting 30 year old pipelines like Exxon Mobile did in Alabama. I’ll enclose a link to a Mother Jones Story on the refineries across America that already refine the stuff. There is a map in that MJ article that expands and shows the locations of all the US refineries which refine the tar sands crap. There is too much money invested in the tar sands, it wont go away. Sadly, Suncor can open mine the stuff and make a profit at thirty five dollars a barrel.That’s cheaper than ultra deep water oil can be produced for.
The usual suspects.
Ok, that toxic sludge goes to a U.S. refinery and gets turned into petroleum products. The products get exported, but what happens to the most toxic left over portions of the sludge? It won’t get shipped back to Canada, it will get dumped somewhere in the U.S. where it will poison Americans when it eventually leaks into the aquifers. Or maybe they’ll just burn it and poison the air for this generation.
If you read the Mother Jones article, the “toxic sludge” has been refined at our refineries for many, many years. With or without the XL pipeline the "toxic sludge will still be refined here. Petroleum coke is what’s left after refining. A lot of it gets shipped to China and other countries to burn. It still goes into the atmosphere no matter where it’s burned. The only difference is the carbon that’s burned transporting it over there. Koch brothers has mountains of petroleum coke along a river in Detroit. NYT did an article on it. My point is no one is going to stop it. There are hundreds of billions that have been invested in the tar sands. Over 150 billion is planned for further expansion.The only thing that will stop it from being mined is a sustained oil price way under thirty dollars a barrel for well over a year. They didn’t shut down in 08 when oil dropped to thirty five dollars a barrel. Their mining operations are too big to shut down for a short drop in oil prices above thirty dollars. The huge mine dump trucks cost 7 million dollars each, they have fleets of them. Once the tar sands are shut down, that will take over 3 million barrels a day off the market. If it isn’t replaced, oil prices will spike again. The mines will reopen.
Added: To get a feeling of the tar sands operations and why current oil prices won’t shut them down check out this article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/as-oil-slips-below-50-canada-digs-in-for-long-haul-1421114641
When this bill gets signed–and I truly believe the White House’s intentions are just that–I hope Pres. Obama has the good sense to ensure some decent environmental/renewable energy pact(s) get green-lighted and fully funded for his blessing.
Anyone who really wants to learn a lot about the “oil sands” in Alberta and so much more about oil related subjects in both America and Canada, Esquire put out a great article a while back. It’s great journalism, it covers the pro and cons, it’s not a one sided piece. Prepare to spend some time on it. It would be best to temporarily bookmark it and read it when you have time. It will take some time at 6 pages long. It is the most informational, best article I’ve ever read on the tar sands. Link: http://www.esquire.com/features/keystone-0912
Keystone XL has thoroughly devolved from it’s cost/benefit prospects or having anything to do with long term jobs. It’s now just one more political football game for us peons to watch play out.
If ever we doubted that congress is totally devoid of reason and rational behavior this is it. And there seems to be not one damn thing the public can do about it.
Let me guess which way it comes down.
And fuck those 9 Dems deep deep DEEP in their gaping assholes.
That. Was. Awesome. haha
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Time for the VETO PEN!!!
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Also time to remove those 9 democrats.
These nine must feel an R nipping at their heels though it’s always predictable when Manchin proudly votes against his party
Why does it have to come through the US? Doesn’t Canada have both a Atlanta and Pacific coast? Don’t they know how to build refineries?
Let them deal with the sludge (coke) that’s left over, after the refining is complete!
As for jobs,the 20-30 full time jobs created can be shipped back to them!
No matter how much oil is produced in America, the price will be what the market price is at the time! Not a penny more, not a penny less!