Thanks for your comments. Since I posted, I caught up on some reading. The House last week passed a bill to approve the Keystone pipeline, 241 to 175. Democrats proposed an amendment to prohibit export of that oil. I suppose the rationale was that if we transport it, we should be able to use it. I’m not sure we have the legal standing to make a private company sell their product here and only here. Regardless, it failed 162-255. Another amendment was proposed to require firms receiving tar-sands crude via Keystone pipeline to pay into the oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, just as other Oil companies must pay a per-gallon fee into the fund. (Interestingly, Exxon was exempted from paying into that fund for the pipeline going through Arkansas. Good luck finding money to clean that up.) It failed 194-233. And lastly, an amendment designed to achieve neutrality on carbon emissions with offsets failed 146-269.
So, to review: pipeline, yes. Getting benefit of using the oil, no. Getting someone to pay into a fund to clean up the eventual spill, no. Reducing pollution to make this a carbon-neutral project, no.
You’re a smart person. I’m sure your conclusions will be valid.
Thanks for your comments. Since I posted, I caught up on some reading. The House last week passed a bill to approve the Keystone pipeline, 241 to 175. Democrats proposed an amendment to prohibit export of that oil. I suppose the rationale was that if we transport it, we should be able to use it. I’m not sure we have the legal standing to make a private company sell their product here and only here. Regardless, it failed 162-255. Another amendment was proposed to require firms receiving tar-sands crude via Keystone pipeline to pay into the oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, just as other Oil companies must pay a per-gallon fee into the fund. (Interestingly, Exxon was exempted from paying into that fund for the pipeline going through Arkansas. Good luck finding money to clean that up.) It failed 194-233. And lastly, an amendment designed to achieve neutrality on carbon emissions with offsets failed 146-269.
So, to review: pipeline, yes. Getting benefit of using the oil, no. Getting someone to pay into a fund to clean up the eventual spill, no. Reducing pollution to make this a carbon-neutral project, no.
You’re a smart person. I’m sure your conclusions will be valid.