Obama Administration Energy Obstructionism- Part II
There are so many examples demonstrating that this administration policy of anti-energy policy for the United States. Here is yet another example of this administrations agenda to drive energy prices higher and make us dependent on foreign energy sources when we have within our own indigenous country vast sources of energy.
There is current a pipeline trying to be developed by TransCanada, a large Canadian pipeline and energy company. The name of this pipeline is called the Keystone XL pipeline which if built, could deliver 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in Oklahoma and Texas. Just to give you an idea of how much oil this represents, Oman a country in the Middle East produces about this much oil! TransCanada estimates that this would bring $20 billion in investment to the US along with 13,000 jobs with sub-suppliers engaging another 118,000 jobs.
There is one big hurdle—the US State Department. Getting approval has proven to be extremely difficult in getting the 1,170 mile underground (that’s right underground so it would not be an eyesore or serve as an obstruction to some rare animal in it’s path)pipeline approved. In fact, TransCanada filed for a permit in 2008—that right almost four years ago. After dozens upon dozens of meetings, hundreds of thousands of comments, and extensive interaction with the EPA, DOT, USDA, DOI, DOE and numerous other federal and state agencies, finally an environmental impact statement was finally issued stating that the pipeline posed little risk to the environment.
The issuance of this EIS was in April of 2010. But, the EPA cried foul. Sixteen months later, another impact statement was produced. The first volume of the EIS was more than 500 pages, and there were actually eight volumes. Once again, in the second report, the conclusion was that the pipeline posed no significant impact to the environment.
The State Department is the ruling authority for the final permitting. After the submission and approval of the second EIS, the State Department issued a press release stating that the impact statement now will be followed by a 90 day review to “determine if the proposed project is in the national interest.”
During this time period, the State Department will consult with at least eight agencies identified in President Obama’s executive order to obtain their views. The State Department will also solicit public comments and meetings in at least six states through which the proposed pipeline will pass.
Meanwhile, separately, the “greenies” are gearing up for a fight with the Administration that they feel they were not given an ample opportunity to resist the project and state their opposition. There actually have been days of protests outside the White House resulting in arrests of a number of these greenies. The Sierra Club is warning President Obama that is will not mobilize its environmental voter base if he approves the project.
We yet do not know where Obama will come down on this; however don’t hold your breath. On the one hand he has driven unemployment to unprecedented levels even after clearly his fiscal stimulus give away has failed. This was substantiated just today when the White House projects unemployment to remain above 9% throughout calendar year 2012! What a sad state of affairs—we need energy security, we need jobs, and this kind of opposition goes on right before our very eyes.
Ladies and gentlemen, change is not only desired it is a necessity—get out and vote in November 2012 and make some real change—the Presidency and the Senate must be placed in the hands of people that will return our nation to greatness!
Obama Administration Energy Obstructionism
I have in the past written a number of articles on the current administrations “anti-energy” policy. Regardless of what this administration says, it is imperative to watch what they do because their actions are generally diametrically opposite to what they say!
Consider the recent discovery by ExxonMobil of the Julia oil field in the Gulf of Mexico. The field is believed to hold more than 700 million barrels of oil and gas equivalent. Exploiting the newly discovered field would yield billions of dollars for both ExxonMobil and royalties paid to the US government, not to mention the creation of thousands of jobs. In fact, a 1 billion barrel field could generate around $10.95 billion in government royalties—Mr. Obama—that is revenues—like taxes! Mr. Obama—this is called becoming “energy independent” and less dependent on the 60% of our oil that we now import from hostile people that want to do ill will to the United States. Get it!
Obama’s Interior Department is fighting this development. The Interior Department regulates offshore drilling and they are claiming that Exxon’s leases have expired and the company hasn’t’ met the requirements for an extension. In this industry, the re-instatement of leases has been in the past almost a rubber stamp, but for whatever reason, this is not the case for the Julia field. This discovery is one of the largest ever.
There is currently a court battle in place and the government is denying the oil company’s lease on the field, despite it being the biggest oil find ever! Furthermore, the signal to the industry that the Interior Department’s current position is extremely damaging for oil producers—typical Obama administration behavior—that is create as much uncertainty for industry so they do nothing—don’t invest, don’t create jobs—it is the same signal that they continue to send industry either through this kind of governmental restrictions or EPA rulings or nationalized healthcare. Same old same old.
Please find one of the best articles that I have recently read that appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal opinion page. The fallacy of “green energy” producing jobs has been proven over and over—it doesn’t—in fact, it costs jobs as these projects do not require nearly the labor to build as conventional sources plus the high cost of subsidy pulls money from the economy that private industry otherwise would invest in real wealth producing ventures that would in fact produce jobs. The cost of energy resulting from these green technologies also drive companies to move overseas for production due to higher electricity costs all of which diminish the number of US jobs!
Please read this article–it is very good!
By STEPHEN MOORE WSJ Opinion Section September 2, 2011
CLICK HERE for the article.
Watch what he does, not what he says!
Once again, after reading this article, one comes to the immediate conclusion that Obama says one thing and does exactly the opposite in his actions. Last year, I attended an industry conference attended by CEO’s and EVP’s of the electric utility industry. Chris Wallace was the keynote speaker—and he used these exact words. Do not listen to Obama’s words–watch what he does–they frequently and most of the time contradict each other. Obama says that he is doing everything to bolster domestic oil production—read this article and reach your own conclusion.
Canada Has Oil; Does U.S. Want It?
Have a great day–and stay involved,
Mark Wohlschlegel
