No, the Keystone Tar Sand Oil is NOT Inevitable
February 24, 2014

 
Share

A little birdy tells me that President Obama is now considering approving the final leg of the infamous “Keystone XL” pipeline because some big names on the Left have resigned themselves to the idea that the tar sands making it to market is “inevitable”, so we might as well be the ones to do it before a “less” environmentally conscientious nation “like China” (who is investing heavily in Green energy and focusing on pollution after Beijing started hitting blindingly toxic levels of smog prior to the 2008 Olympics.) Meanwhile, ask North Carolina and West Virginia what they think about our environmental record. Quite honestly, anyone claiming to be “a Liberal” that tells you the KXL “is inevitable so we might as well do it”, isn’t really a Liberal. Because a true Liberal finds the better way. They don’t just throw up their hands and say, “Okay Big Money, you win! I surrender!” Screw you and the Iron Horse you rode in on. That’s like saying, “Wall Street is going to find a way to screw us out of our money anyways so we might as well deregulate the whole damned thing.” No, Naysayers, the tar sands oil making it to market is NOT “inevitable.” Answer me this: That “tar sand” has been there for tens of thousands of years. Why now? Why are we suddenly considering using it “now”? Was there a sudden drop in the supply of oil that I’m not aware of? Are we running out of places to drill? Has OPEC suddenly cut back production because oil is suddenly harder to find? No. The reason… the ONLY reason they are suddenly looking at it is because it’s suddenly economically feasible thanks to the Bush Administration driving oil prices into the stratosphere. In the past, converting tar sand into “oil” was just too damned expensive. Now, with $95/barrel oil, suddenly, the process is cost effective. Wanna stop the tar sand’s from being used, GET THE PRICE OF OIL DOWN. And there’s several ways to do it.

    • First off, the most immediate effect would come by cracking down on rampant speculation in the Oil Commodities Market. Bring back the requirement that no one can purchase oil on the open market that doesn’t have a place to take delivery of all that oil they just bought. No more Day-Traders at home in their bathrobes sitting in front of their computers spiking the price of oil to make a quick profit with no consideration for what it may do to the economy. That’ll cut down on wild fluctuations in the market post haste. And knowing that the rules change is coming will convince thousands of Billy Bob’s sitting on loads of Oil Futures to dump their shares, rapidly driving down the price of oil.

      Critics might say that if “We” tighten Regulations on Oil Trading, they’ll just do their investing overseas. A few may at first, yes. But when you institute the regulations here in the U.S., that means no brokerage IN the U.S. can handle those trades. A brave few might just start buying their oil from overseas brokers, but most will not. And I guarantee that it WE Regulate it and it makes a dent, most other industrialized nations will quickly follow suit. That’s number 1.

    • Second, invest heavily in GREEN energy. Not only do you create jobs this way, but jobs with an actual future. Good paying High-Tech jobs. Jobs where your energy source is unlimited (the tar sands will only last about a dozen years, then what?). Promote technologies that shift us AWAY from fossil fuels (larger tax credits for hybrid cars, solar panels on your roof, insulating your home, etc), thus driving demand… AND oil prices… down even further.

 

  • And third, update the electric grid. Did you know that for less than the lifetime cost of just ONE nuclear power plant, we could update our desperately degrading electric grid, conserving as much electricity (wasted in heat and inefficiency) produced by OVER ONE HUNDRED nuclear power plants? And cheaper electricity means fewer people using oil, which (again) drives down oil prices. Read this energy guide to get a much deeper insight.

As I reported last week, if the price of oil were to fall $30 to just $65/barrel, excavating the tar sands would no longer be cost efficient. And arguably, I don’t see the U.S. refining tar sand for China. If they want it, they are going to have to ship it someplace else to refine it. Suddenly, we’re not looking at $65/barrel, you’re looking at more like $75/barrel before it becomes too expensive for a foreign country to try an utilize it.

Ever wonder why CANADA doesn’t just simply refine it THERE in Canada? Why not simply build a refinery there rather than bisect the United States with a 1,800 mile long pipeline to the Gulf? Because they plan to EXPORT that oil once it has been refined. No port, no profit. And as long as oil is in the $75+ range, there’s profit to be made. Get that price down, and all your worries about Keystone go too.

I personally believe that protesters that focus on the catastrophic environmental damage the KXL would do are doing themselves a tremendous disservice. If your target audience is people that don’t believe in “Global Warming” and believe in all the lies they’ve been fed about what an economic boom it would be, you might as well be claiming the KXL kills “Spotted Owls” for all the good it would do. No, you’ve gotta hit them where they live. TELL THEM that it WON’T “create a million jobs” like they’ve been told. TELL THEM that it WON’T lower… but in fact RAISE… the price of gas. TELL THEM that it means an enormous 11-foot deep lake of black toxic sludge the size of Central Park (840 acres) in their backyard blighting the landscape, stinking the air, and lowering their property values. Hit them where they live. And be ready to answer question when they ask you to defend your claims. Because as long as these lies are allowed to persist, they become the truth. “Everyone” was gung-ho to invade Iraq over “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that we were literally guaranteed were there (“slam dunk”). But afterward when the weapons didn’t turn up, suddenly everyone realized they had been lied to for someone else’s personal gain and WE were stuck with the check.

I plan on taking part in a “Stop the Keystone XL pipeline” protest this Saturday, and I hope to create some nice “ready-to-print” signs that I can distribute in file format to fellow protesters. If I do, I’ll be sure to post them here on M.R.S. for free download sometime this week.

 

Writers Wanted Got something to say? Mugsy’s Rap Sheet is always looking for article submissions to focus on the stories we may miss each week. To volunteer your own Op/Ed for inclusion here, send us an email with an example of your writing skills & choice of topic, and maybe we’ll put you online!

RSS Please REGISTER to be notified by e-mail every time this Blog is updated! Firefox/IE users can use RSS for a browser link that lists the latest posts! RSS

Share

February 24, 2014 · Admin Mugsy · No Comments - Add
Posted in: Economy, Energy Independence, Environment, Global Warming, Jobs, Money, myth busting, Seems Obvious to Me

Leave a Reply