Keystone XL pipeline decision delayed until at least June

[ProSense]

Keystone XL pipeline decision delayed until at least June

by beach babe in fl

The Obama Administration's decision to delay recommendations on the Keystone XL pipeline until at least June is good news for many reasons. Delay is the albatross around Canadian Tar Sands oil's neck as they increasingly run into impediments to getting their highly controversial tar sands oil to global markets.

Reuters

The Obama administration's decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline will not be made until at least June, a U.S. official said, which would delay the project for months and frustrate backers of Canada's oil sands.

"We're talking the beginning of summer at the earliest," said the source, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the TransCanada Corp project, which has been pending for more than four and a half years. "It's not weeks until the final decision. It's months."

The delay is having the effect of discounting prices for the oil due to insufficient distribution.

The delay is painful in Canada which is suffering persistent, discounted prices for its oil because of tight pipeline capacity. The premier of the Western Canadian province of Alberta warned last week that it faced a $6 billion revenue shortfall due to current pipeline constraints.

Another route being pursued for distribution of the tar sands oil is the huge Asia market. That is being stalled by the entrenched opposition to the Northern Gateway Pipeline; the only viable route from Alberta to the Pacific Ocean North American ports.

Any distribution of the Alberta Tar Sands oil to the EU has been thwarted by the European Commission to label the Tar Sands oil as highly polluting and bound by it's environmental rules.

The stalled decision in the US is starting to look like good environmental and political judgement by the Obama Administration. It gives us more time to build an even greater visible opposition to the XL pipeline.

Join the largest environmental protest ever in the US on Sunday Feb. 17th in Washington DC right outside the Whitehouse! Register Here!

- more -

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/02/03/1184303/-Keystone-XL-pipeline-decision-delayed-until-at-least-June

If true, good.

[patrice]

1. Will there be a virtual rally at the 2/17 protest? I'll go see what I can find out. nt

[ProSense]

2. Don't know. Here's the

link to sign up http://act.350.org/signup/presidentsday

More info: http://forwardonclimate.org

[ProSense]

3. Kick! n/t

[Buzz Clik]

4. It's a global market. We cannot influence it much.

The Canadians are going to keep extracting oil from the tar sands no matter what we do with the pipeline. If we wait long enough, the Canadians find another way to get their oil to port.

I really cannot see what this is accomplishing.

[ProSense]

5. Then, let them. n/t

[Buzz Clik]

6. There's no "letting them." They don't need anyone's permission.

I would really be interested in hearing what we expect to accomplish by blocking this one segment of a pipeline when the country already is filled with similar pipelines.

I swear to God that US environmental activists can be incredibly uninformed.

[ProSense]

7. For this particular project, yes they do, which

"I would really be interested in hearing what we expect to accomplish by blocking this one segment of a pipeline when the country already is filled with similar pipelines. "

...is the point isn't it? Here you go: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=forwardonclimate_tarsands

[Buzz Clik]

10. The Canadians need no permission to start truck the oil or building a pipeline on their own turf.

I am aware that the development of tar sands is filthy business. If we allow the pipeline, we are, in essence, endorsing that activity.

BUT!

It's already happening and will continue if we are part of it or not. Trucking it will be far less energy efficient and will put more demands on their filthy process, not less.

I have seen this so very many times before. It's fricking crazy, but whatever.

[ProSense]

12. The U.S. isn't "their own turf."

"I am aware that the development of tar sands is filthy business. If we allow the pipeline, we are, in essence, endorsing that activity.

It's already happening and will continue if we are part of it or not. Trucking it will be far less energy efficient and will put more demands on their filthy process, not less. "

So the important thing is not the environmental disaster it presents, but saving them money on transporting it?

[Buzz Clik]

14. REALLY?????!!! The US is NOT Canadian soil? Oh, wait -- I never said it was.

Ignoring that ridiculous diversion...

The "efficiency" to which I was referring was energy efficiency. Piping the oil is far more efficient that trucking it.

You get the last word. I can see this is going nowhere.

[ProSense]

16. I don't

"Piping the oil is far more efficient that trucking it. "

...need the last word, but in what world is trucking comparable to the potential environmental disaster the pipeline presents?

[MadHound]

8. I'm not putting much faith in this administration blocking Keystone XL,

I think that they sent a clear signal that they will go forward with it when they approved the Keystone South leg of the pipeline. If you're not going to approve the northern half, why greenlight the lower half?

If they do block it, I will be pleasantly surprised, but I think that this is simply a delaying tactic being implemented for political reasons.

[ProSense]

9. The lower pipeline

"I think that they sent a clear signal that they will go forward with it when they approved the Keystone South leg of the pipeline. If you're not going to approve the northern half, why greenlight the lower half? "

...has nothing to do with the President nor does it increase tar sands mining.

A new chapter in the fight against Keystone XL

Posted by Jamie Henn

The latest attempts to revive the Keystone XL zombie were announced this Monday afternoon, and like previous resurrection efforts, this revival attempt will be met with fierce opposition.

In a press release, the Canadian pipeline company TransCanada said that it will move forward with construction of the southern half of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from Cushing, Okla., to Texas refineries and reapply for a cross-border permit for the northern half of the pipeline from the Alberta tar sands down to the mid-west.

350.org founder Bill McKibben, who has led protests against Keystone XL, gave the following response to the news:

“Transcanada's decision to build its pipe from Oklahoma to Texas is a nifty excuse to steal some land by eminent domain. It doesn't increase tar sands mining because there's still no pipe across the Canadian border, but it's the usual ugly power grab and land grab by the fossil fuel industry -- we'll do what we can to stand by our allies in that arid and beautiful land.”

While TransCanada does not require a presidential permit for the southern half of the pipeline, it still must secure land along the proposed route. Since few people are eager for a pipeline carrying corrosive tar sands oil to run through their backyard, the company has resorted to using eminent domain to grab land away from property owners.

<...>

As for the Northern half of the Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada is also facing a difficult route to approval.

“Transcanada's second decision, to reapply for a permit to bring tar sands oil across the border, puts us back where we were this time last year,” explained Bill McKibben. “Since their first application was outright rejected, this one will have to start all over again--the White House has made clear for months that it will be 2013 at the earliest before any decision is reached. If this time the process proceeds without influence-buying at the State department, and if the administration honors its promise to fully evaluate climate impacts, that permit will never be granted. Those, of course, are big ifs.”

- more -

http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/new-chapter-fight-against-keystone-xl

[MadHound]

11. Umm, Trans Canada had to get administration approval to proceed with construction of KXL South

That is a fact.

And of course, that approval hasn't increased tar sands mining, because they have to finish the pipeline first, d'uh.

[octoberlib]

13. All these delays are a good sign. Thanks for the info! nt

[Nye Bevan]

15. I hope that it goes ahead, with proper environmental safeguards.

We need the jobs.

[ProSense]

17. "We need the jobs."

Highly overrated.

Oil and Gas Jobs Increase by 75,000 Under Obama — 69,000 More Than Would Be Created By Keystone XL
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002186785

Want jobs:

John Kerry on clean energy and climate change
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022271720

[politicasista]

18. Hope you are right n/t

Last edited Fri Feb 8, 2013, 06:58 PM - Edit history (2)