if you havent given much thought to the Keystone Pipeline and you think this a fringe issue that has no bearing on your life....you could not be more mistaken. In case you dont know the Keystone Pipeline is a delivery device for unconventional oil deposits technically referred to as bitumen. Unlike conventional oil, bitumen is viscous and dense. It requires heat and a chemical process to remove the oil from the sand. The method of extraction is like mountain top removal or an open pit mind. It leaves behind an uninhabitable extraction zone with plastic lined tailing ponds. The tailing ponds are lined with plastic because the water is so polluted it cannot return to the earth. Transcanada, A Canadian Extraction/Energy Company is the main driver behind the pipeline along with some notable plutocrats, people from the Canadian Heartland. Believe it or not the nearest port to get the Tar Sands oil to market is in Port Arthur Texas, over 2,100 miles away. For political, social and economic issues the Canadians do not want the pipeline built across their pristine wilderness. In the last two decades Canadian Courts have sided with first nation peoples, respecting and enforcing first nation sovereignty. Thus Transamerica is looking could be tied up for years in courts where their success would not be guaranteed. Additionally, British Colombians do not want their coastline to look like Port Arthur Texas. So why should you care about this? Why does this affect you? Dr. Jim Hansen, arguably the most respected living climate scientist has said that construction of the Keystone pipeline would be game over for the planet. Actually, the planet would eventually recover but it could be game over for us. If the extraction industry is allowed to extract all the oil and natural gas in and on the earth, it will lead to a world that may not sustain human life. At least not 7 billion of us. You would only need to look towards any of the worlds conflict zones to get a taste of what shedding a few billion of us might look like. I refer you to our nearest celestial neighbors as exhibit a and b: Mars and Venus. If you think I am being cute or hyperbolic Google The Venus Effect or Environmental Feedback Loops. Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution we add about 2parts per million per year. Currently we are at 400ppm. I am incredulous that anything as infinitesimal as 400 ppm can actually affect the other 999600 parts per million. Despite my incredulity and every potential Republican Presidential candidates skepticism about 97% of climate scientists agree the earth is warming do to anthropomorphic causes. Their is no debate, this is called consensus. Since truth is subjective consensus is the closest we get to truth. Dr. Hansen describes the energy trapped in our atmosphere by carbon as similar to the wattage of a singe christmas light (the small ones) per square meter. We are currently at 400ppm, we need to be at 350ppm and the Keystone Pipeline is a carbon delivery device. Pragmatists, some Conservatives, and sour centrist President believes the fight regarding the Keystone Pipeline is largely symbolic. Environmentalists (like myself) agree. If you put the pipeline in context, the 700,000 barrels of bitumen the pipeline would deliver would represent about 7% of current daily US Oil Production. Mitch McConnell, David and Charles Koch and Mary Landrieu would not appreciate the characterization of the pipeline as symbolic. All of them would have you believe American Jobs are at stake. Ms. Landrieu from coastal laden Louisiana is partially correct, her job is on the line. She pushed her bill through in an attempt to bolster her re-election chances for in the upcoming election. Today the Senate did not pass the bill by a vote. Mary may be updating her Linkedin profile as we speak. My bet is she does some work on K street for extractive energy companies. Conservative pundits claim 100,000 of jobs will be created. The US State Department claims the pipeline itself will create about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 35 permanent jobs. Yet those figures do not include the people employed in Port Arthur employed in the processing and preparing the oil for transport. Do you not what would actually create 100,000 of jobs? A truly diversified and decentralized power grid and investment in wind and Solar. Germany currently gets 31% of their energy from renewables. The Danes are similiar. It can be done and we could do it. This would help create more diversified economies in extractive energy places like Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kentucky. How many solar installers does it take to put panels on roofs, maintenance workers to attend to windmills, workers to create smarter grids and develop more capable battery storage? I am not an expert but at least, more than 35. Landrieu (Democrat) and McConnell (Republican) have to say the pipeline will create jobs because they have certainly taken the Kochs as well as other extractive energy companies dark money. Charles and David are the real winners in this whole scenario. The pipeline is almost literally in Charles Kochs backyard or about a 100 miles from Wichita. The Kochs have leased about 2 million acres of Alberta Tar Sands and their portfolio of pipeline oil construction companies and processing plants will be the prime beneficiaries of the pipeline. Proponents argue the tar sands will find the export market anyway and Americans should profit from it. Since the pipeline is largely symbolic who cares? Me, for one. Dr. James Hansen, Cantankerous Nebraska ranchers, first nation peoples, incoherent environmentalists,respected scientists, people of faith, aging hippies and most certainly, you. If the pipeline is symbolic. isnt this the right symbol to fight for? The oil companies are the most profitable companies in the history of money. Do we want to be forking over all our money to this cabal? Here is a short list of extractive energy dominated economies: Russia, Venezaula, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. I dont know about Qatar but none of those countries speak to my Western Democratic needs. We need to restore cacophony to our democracy or at the very least actual human voices. For a moment forget the moral imperative and common sense notion of not destroying the planet. Lets look at this from a market based solution. If you had to at first artificially inflate or create a subsidy to create a a truly diversified energy market wouldnt the consumer then have choice between competing sources of energy which would in turn drive energy prices down? If economists are clever enough to create something as complex as a credit derivative swap i am certain they can find a market based solution that would not tank the economy while taxing carbon. Several out there exist from conservatives and liberals alike. Let our peace loving maple leaf brethren up North create their own export market. Lets help get the hard working people of Louisiana and Kentucky create a truly diversified energy economy so they can throw McConnell and Landrieu out of office with out fear of loosing their jobs. More oil will not be and never will be the answer to creating a localized and diversified energy market. For these reasons the Keystone Pipeline is a terrible idea, Dont let this pass. Join us. Do something. Fight this! Our communities, our bruised democracy our planet needs you! This is not a liberal verse conservative or Democrat vs. Republican. We all need to appeal to the better angels of ourselves and become the nation of badass problem solvers, thinkers and creators our founding fathers intended us to be. Not butt boys to plutocrat bullies. Remember Richard Nixon passed the clean air act. Join me.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 07:02:37 +0000
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