Obama - no to Keystone pipeline

[fskimospy]

This entire exercise was stupidity. Republicans knew that Obama would deny it this year because he didn't want to piss off his base.

Obama is making the wrong choice due to election year politics, but the Republicans knew full well he would do it and pushed for it to happen... due to election year politics. I would bet money that had they allowed Obama to make that decision next year it would have been approved. Silliness.

 

[Darwin333]

This entire exercise was stupidity. Republicans knew that Obama would deny it this year because he didn't want to piss off his base.

Obama is making the wrong choice due to election year politics, but the Republicans knew full well he would do it and pushed for it to happen... due to election year politics. I would bet money that had they allowed Obama to make that decision next year it would have been approved. Silliness.

I applaud you for admitting the truth. I am sure the Republicans will rush in to say they told you so but their side is just as guilty of playing the same bullshit politics.

Its truly sad that we can't get politicians on either side of the aisle that do the right thing just because its the right thing to do.

 

[senseamp]

This is not over yet. Republicans are going to stick Keystone XL into payroll tax deal. Talk about holding the middle class hostage.

 

[alphatarget1]

This is not over yet. Republicans are going to stick Keystone XL into payroll tax deal. Talk about holding the middle class hostage.

The payroll taxcut is a gimmick and should not be extended. Let's kill two birds with one stone!

 

[senseamp]

The payroll taxcut is a gimmick and should not be extended. Let's kill two birds with one stone!

Republicans should take this position

 

[Jhhnn]

This entire exercise was stupidity. Republicans knew that Obama would deny it this year because he didn't want to piss off his base.

Obama is making the wrong choice due to election year politics, but the Republicans knew full well he would do it and pushed for it to happen... due to election year politics. I would bet money that had they allowed Obama to make that decision next year it would have been approved. Silliness.

I applaud you for admitting the truth. I am sure the Republicans will rush in to say they told you so but their side is just as guilty of playing the same bullshit politics.

Its truly sad that we can't get politicians on either side of the aisle that do the right thing just because its the right thing to do.

That's not really accurate at all, Darwin333. The pipeline was on its way to approval in good time through the normal channels of give & take, building consensus & creating consent among the state & federal entities *before* Repubs made their grandstand play. What they succeeded in doing was setting it back, not moving it forward, an outcome that was obvious from the start.

Right or wrong, Nebraskans *do not want* the pipeline to go thru the sand hills, and it simply won't be built w/o their consent. Both Transcanada & the Obama Admin are amenable to alternatives, but everybody gets to start over from square 1, thanks to Repub grandstanding.

This isn't rocket science, or brain surgery, except that some of our resident Obama haters might need the latter to really understand what's happened.

 

[monovillage]

This entire exercise was stupidity. Republicans knew that Obama would deny it this year because he didn't want to piss off his base.

Obama is making the wrong choice due to election year politics, but the Republicans knew full well he would do it and pushed for it to happen... due to election year politics. I would bet money that had they allowed Obama to make that decision next year it would have been approved. Silliness.

Dammit.
My hat's off to you eskimospy. I disagree with you on so many issues, then you speak plainly and honestly in this post on this issue. It makes me wonder how wrong i've been on other issues we've disagreed on.

dammit.

 

[spidey07]

Drink when he brings up evil republicans pushing for American jobs tomorrow regarding this win/win project that he and his admin alone are blocking.

 

[Jhhnn]

Drink when he brings up evil republicans pushing for American jobs tomorrow regarding this win/win project that he and his admin alone are blocking.

I linked the fact that the State of Nebraska is blocking the pipeline through the Sand Hills, Spidey, and also that the Repubs' ultimatum demanded that route alone be approved by Obama.

Your assertion, above, is either deliberately disinformational or the result of willful blindness on your part.

Maybe the headline should read "Obama joins Nebraska Republicans in blocking pipeline through the Sand Hills, other routes to be considered" or just "Congressional Repubs contrive to embarrass Obama & hoodwink their base over pipeline"...

 

[FuzzyBee]

It's not like this country will obtain more oil out of the deal, anyway, given that it's slated for export, or that helping Canadians deplete their reserves faster will increase our energy security, either.

Isn't it an "export pipeline" as in "exported from Canada"?

 

[Jhhnn]

Isn't it an "export pipeline" as in "exported from Canada"?

As I understand it, the pipeline will deliver "new" extra heavy Canadian crude to Texas where it's to be refined for export to other parts of the world by ship.

 

[fskimospy]

Dammit.
My hat's off to you eskimospy. I disagree with you on so many issues, then you speak plainly and honestly in this post on this issue. It makes me wonder how wrong i've been on other issues we've disagreed on.

dammit.

Victory!

 

[CitizenKain]

If you want to talk about steadfast believers, take a look in the mirror.


The fact is, Obama was delaying saying yes, or no to the pipeline for political gain.

If anyone ever wanted to see a fantastic example of a pot calling a kettle black, this is it.

 

[monovillage]

"Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department. "

What a surprise! It looks like Obama was just looking for a higher bidder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quid_pro_quo
and I thought he was only doing it for political reasons.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...g-winners-in-obama-rejection-of-pipeline.html

 

[Darwin333]

That's not really accurate at all, Darwin333. The pipeline was on its way to approval in good time through the normal channels of give & take, building consensus & creating consent among the state & federal entities *before* Repubs made their grandstand play. What they succeeded in doing was setting it back, not moving it forward, an outcome that was obvious from the start.

Right or wrong, Nebraskans *do not want* the pipeline to go thru the sand hills, and it simply won't be built w/o their consent. Both Transcanada & the Obama Admin are amenable to alternatives, but everybody gets to start over from square 1, thanks to Repub grandstanding.

This isn't rocket science, or brain surgery, except that some of our resident Obama haters might need the latter to really understand what's happened.

As I have said many times before I am quite sure that either Obama or at worst an act of Congress could have issued some sort of temporary permit based on the rerouting of the pipeline along one of the already studied alternatives. At no time did I see Obama come out and say "Look guys, I support the pipeline but the folks in Nebraska have a legitimate concern so lets work on solving that issue and moving this project forward".

If he would have said that you might have a point but he did not. Why didn't he, he didn't because it would piss off his base. I agree that the Republicans were playing politics too but that doesn't excuse the President from his own politically motivated decisions.

 

[Darwin333]

Lots of supposition in that. Transcanada actually offered to move the pipeline, and the overwhelmingly Republican Nebraska legislature voted 45-0 to have their own agency study alternate routes, a bill their governor signed.

Meanwhile, national repubs, seeking to embarrass Obama, seeking a faux issue, gave an ultimatum to Obama- All or nothing, as is, 60 days, that's it, take it or leave it. They snapped it off in the backs of all the people who were working hard to find a solution agreeable to everybody, and delayed the whole thing in the process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/nebraska-keystone-bill_n_1098185.html

Do you believe that the States have the power to overrule any and all Federal studies if one of their agencies comes up with a different answer? How about environmental regulation since that is basically what we are talking about? If the State of Nebraska found that CO2 is not a "pollutant" should they be able to override the Federal EPA?

I understand they are sort of different issues and that Nebraska should have some say in where the pipeline is routed but they have had a long time to do this analysis themselves. How long should we allow a state to stall a Federal infrastructure project?

Please keep in mind that these exact same tactics will be (and have been) used to halt or slow down renewable energy projects, rail expansion, HSR, new and more efficient power plants, etc... The studies have been done on the alternate routes already. If they want it to run along the same route as the existing pipelines then fine, tell Transcanada that is what they must do but since the studies have already been done there is no reason to stall the project for years and perhaps lose the entire project if they get tired of waiting.

 

[Darwin333]

"Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

With modest expansion, railroads can handle all new oil produced in western Canada through 2030, according to an analysis of the Keystone proposal by the U.S. State Department. "

What a surprise! It looks like Obama was just looking for a higher bidder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quid_pro_quo
and I thought he was only doing it for political reasons.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...g-winners-in-obama-rejection-of-pipeline.html

I highly doubt that they will ship it by rail, at least not for long. They found out just how dependent they are on the US for their energy exports which are a substantial part of their economy. They will most likely build a pipeline to their west coast and export it straight to Asia themselves. Given the way the pipeline has been handled it would seem like a very smart idea to diversify their ability to sell their product without being beholden to another nation whose politics swing wildly rather frequently.

 

[NeoV]

just saw this little tid-bit..

" The reality is that according to the State Department, Keystone XL will only create 6,000 direct jobs with only 10%-15% of those workers being hired locally.

As PoliticusUSA has been reporting, Boehner is pushing the project so aggressively because he is personally invested in the oil companies that will benefit from the pipeline"

 

[the DRIZZLE]

This entire exercise was stupidity. Republicans knew that Obama would deny it this year because he didn't want to piss off his base.

Obama is making the wrong choice due to election year politics, but the Republicans knew full well he would do it and pushed for it to happen... due to election year politics. I would bet money that had they allowed Obama to make that decision next year it would have been approved. Silliness.

I appreciate the candor but I don't understand why you think he would have approved it next year. His base is going to vote for him anyway, to me it seems even less likely that he would approve it once the election was over. I think you are hoping that when you take politics out of the equation he is a reasonable person that makes decisions based on facts but after the last three years I honestly don't believe that about him.

 

[monovillage]

just saw this little tid-bit..

" The reality is that according to the State Department, Keystone XL will only create 6,000 direct jobs with only 10%-15% of those workers being hired locally.

As PoliticusUSA has been reporting, Boehner is pushing the project so aggressively because he is personally invested in the oil companies that will benefit from the pipeline"

The only reason any Republican wants to have a pipeline that runs from the oil fields in Canada down through the United States and helps this countries energy security is because we all get big checks from Exxon and Shell.
None of us care about jobs in building the pipeline, maintaining the pipeline, refining the crude oil, testing the products, transporting the products either shipping or using the products.

You're being gullible.

 

[cybrsage]

Having the oil flow through the US is better for the US' national interests than to have it flow through someone else's country...even if that other country is Canada. I love our northern neighbors...cannot really ask for better folk to be along the border, but it is better for the US if the oil flows through the US.

 

[Matt1970]

They will sell the oil no matter what. We just tossed thousands of jobs down the toilet. There are already pipelines running through the US and those aren't natural disasters.

The U.S. also has an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 miles of small gathering lines (usually 2 to 6 inches in diameter) located primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wyoming with small systems in a number of other oil producing states. These small lines gather the oil from many wells, both onshore and offshore, and connect to larger trunk lines measuring from 8 to 24 inches in diameter.

 

[monovillage]

You don't see it mentioned much now, but I was alive and interested in the Alaskan pipeline when the first started building it. You should have heard all the lies the enviros/greens were telling about caribou herds, bears, moose and all the wildlife that would be driven to extinction. It never happened, as usual the environmental nutjobs were lying about the impact.

 

[dmcowen674]

Republican America haters to force Obama to approve Keystone pipeline

1-30-2012

http://news.yahoo.com/keystone-linked-u-highway-bill-boehner-174244726.html

Keystone to be linked to U.S. highway bill: Boehner



Republican lawmakers will try to force the Obama administration to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline by attaching it to a highway bill that Congress will consider next month, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday.

"If (Keystone) is not enacted before we take up the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, it will be part of it," Boehner said on ABC's "This Week" news program.

Attaching Keystone to a pending deal to extend payroll tax cuts for workers, which has greater bipartisan backing than the highway bills, is another vehicle Republicans are considering.

 

[monovillage]

Republican America haters to force Obama to approve Keystone pipeline

1-30-2012

http://news.yahoo.com/keystone-linked-u-highway-bill-boehner-174244726.html

Keystone to be linked to U.S. highway bill: Boehner



Republican lawmakers will try to force the Obama administration to approve the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline by attaching it to a highway bill that Congress will consider next month, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Sunday.

"If (Keystone) is not enacted before we take up the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, it will be part of it," Boehner said on ABC's "This Week" news program.

Attaching Keystone to a pending deal to extend payroll tax cuts for workers, which has greater bipartisan backing than the highway bills, is another vehicle Republicans are considering.

It's a good project and the Republicans would be lax in their responsibility if they didn't try to get the bill passed. Plus as an added bonus it'll play good in the elections. win/win