|
Most people had never heard of the Keystone pipeline until a few weeks ago. Unless it is to pass nearby or someone works in the energy business, why should they? The pipeline has been a big cause with groups like the Environmental Defense Fund because they say it could threaten giant underground water supplies in aquifers. That problem seems to have been resolved in the most contentious state, Nebraska, by routing the pipeline around the Ogallala aquifer. (There is disagreement in available reports about the rerouting issue and whether it has been agreed to at this point. The Nebraska legislature was evidently satisfied, but questions remain at the US State Department, the agency that must rule on pipelines crossing international borders.)
The problem for environmental groups is not mainly the pipeline itself. There are hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines all across America and, with the exception of an occasional leak and fire, most people never hear about pipelines and don’t really care about them. They are, after all, underground and mostly out of sight. The environmental groups don’t want oil to be produced from tar sands, which is where the Canadian oil will come from, because it produces pollution and requires massive amounts of water to get the oil out of the sand. The problem with this thinking is that not building the pipeline would not stop the Canadians from producing oil this way, it would just stop it being transported across the US by the pipeline. The tar sands oil production would likely go on anyway, with other methods found for shipping.
All of this is background noise to what has been going on in Washington. A couple of weeks back, Obama, through the State Department, put off a final decision on the pipeline for one year, conveniently placing it after the November presidential election. It seems obvious that the administration wanted to dodge the issue, keeping Obama’s environmental supporters onboard for the reelection effort. In turn, the Republicans in the House apparently wanted to try to embarrass the president by forcing him to make an earlier decision. They don’t want to give him the chance to dodge this bullet. That’s the main reason the Republicans attached a 60 day deadline on a pipeline decision to the payroll tax reduction. It is a boldfaced effort to make the president choose between some of his supporters and energy production.
The chances of the pipeline being turned down are close to zero anyway. Why? Because we are a nation completely dependent on fossil fuels. Our economy absolutely depends on them. Put another way, suppose there was complete, undeniable evidence that 100,000 people would die every year starting 20 years from now if we continued to use fossil fuels. Guess what? We would still use them. (Big studies would be launched to try and prove and disprove the potential for death and another big study would be put forth about how to prevent the deaths. You know, the usual measures.) For the time being, there is no other choice but fossil fuels. We are stuck. The pipeline will go through. My guess is that Obama or his aides will hold some earnest meetings with environmental groups and assure them that he understands their concerns and will, in the future, give them something on other issues they value. The usual measures.
Neither the president nor the Congress comes out looking particularly good on this, but the House Republicans, as usual, come off as immature jerks. They scream to the heavens that they will never support any tax increases, especially removing the Bush tax breaks for the rich, but, in the case of working Americans, well, boosting the payroll tax back up is okay. Then, they attach an unrelated issue as a way of giving themselves cover to vote for something they say they are opposed to because of the budget. As we know, then the tea pot Republicans turned down the deal their own leadership agreed to support. The Republican party is clearly at war within itself.
This is little more than yet another effort to take away votes from Obama next year, holding government policy hostage to politics. The goal of responsible government, and getting what citizens need in this long recession, is secondary, at best. To believe otherwise, you have to believe the the Republicans actually care about the pipeline and the jobs that will be created. Since the tea pot Republicans in the House were opposing the continuation of the payroll tax deduction (and other measures), on which 400,000 jobs were estimated to be riding, believing that becomes difficult and, in fact, more a matter of what you want to believe than supporting facts. In politics, survival often comes first and last, for all sides.
Doug Terry, 12.17.11 (with later changes/additions)
|
