As I have said before, I have COMPLETELY changed my mind about Obama and I am thinking about trying to repeal the 22nd Amendment.
I never thought I would say this, but Obama is an independent oilman's best friend. Without the Keystone Pipeline I can't imagine that the Alberta Tar Sands can possibly remain profitable at todays prices, and hopefully this action (inaction) will shut down those operations indefinitely taking at least a million barrels of oil a day off the market, perhaps much more, and getting me closer to my dream of a return to $100 oil.
So who wants to join me to push for a repeal of the 22nd amendment?
...only concerned about making a shitload of money. You don't have to give a damn that a leak may foul the Ogallala Acquifer which supplies water to irrigate farms in eight states which account for 25% of the U.S. cropland. The Ogallala also provides drinking water for over 2,000,000 people. Big deal, with all the money you'll be making, you could supply all 2 million with drinking water.
"Tar sands" - yeah, that sounds like a nice, clean product that should be piped from Canada to the Gulf, not one drop of which will be used by Americans.
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See I can be greedy without rooting for an ecological disaster.
Not that my opinion matters two shits worth, but I do agree that the Canadian Tar Sands create a very dirty,nasty oil, that the world might be better off not producing. My argument in the past has been that with all the risks that come with a pipeline, it's still ten times safer than the alternative which is to rail it here. It seems like rail accidents are almost a weekly occurrence, while Pipeline leaks are a statistical rarity.
Personally, the best result for me would be a complete halt to the Tar Sands development and production of its oil. Most of that oil ends up in Cushing causing a log jam of crude that has high quality West Texas Intermediate Crude trading at a ten dollar discount to the inferior Brent Sea oil because of refining capacity.
In all actuality stopping the Keystone Pipeline is HUGELY in my interest. Now where do we file the papers to repeal that pesky 22nd amendment?
...for years, if ever. There are huge eminent domain issues in Nebraska.
"(Nine) years ago, President George Bush issued Executive Order 13406 which stated that the federal government must limit its use of taking private property for public use with just compensation for the purpose of benefiting the general public, wording mirrored in the U.S. Constitution. Bush’s Order 13406 limits the use of eminent domain so it may not be used for the purpose of advancing the economic interest of private parties to be given ownership or use of the property taken. While Bush’s Order applies only to the Feds, it certainly colors the same powers of the States and has an effect on the appellate courts." (see link)
The Republican party used to stand for property rights but now they bend over and take it in the ass from Big Oil. They are letting TransCanada, a private company, use eminent domain to seize the land to build the pipeline.
Boehner and McConnell call pipeline opponents "extremists and anarchists." These are the same Nebraska Republican farmers and ranchers who served our country in the military and have been growing food for America for generations.
and the longer that takes, the better as far as I am concerned. My motives might be selfish, but we are actually on the same side on this one.
Also Big Oil is hardly the only industry abusing eminent domain. AND it's not just the GOP sucking up to big business. NO ONE in power seems to have the slightest interest in either private property rights or privacy interests.
I have maintained for years that the best thing we can hope for is gridlock. Where it comes to things like approving this pipeline, do you REALLY want a government that "gets things done"??? I would rather they argue about it for another decade, that would be ten more years before they fuck things up even worse.
The Republican Party has nothing to do with TransCanada’s use of eminent domain
and couldn't stop them if they wanted to do so.
They are condemning land for the pipeline under state law, not federal. In Texas all common carriers have been delegated the right to exercise eminent domain, subject to the regulations of the Railroad Commission. A pipeline is considered a common carrier. All you have to do is fill out a 2 page form and it usually is green lighted through. Litigation has been unsuccessful to challenge this
...passed a law giving the Republican governor authority to approve the pipeline route. That law survived a challenge on a technicality but is still being contested.
"...state law, not federal." I guess you haven't gotten to the Supremacy Clause yet in paralegal school. State law is subservient to Federal law when they are in conflict. Why don't you try getting slavery passed in your state and claim that it's legal because it's "state law, not federal."
"Litigation has been unsuccessful..." Tell it to the judge...
and in fact has no power of eminent domain under federal law. Neither Bush’s executive order nor the Republican Party has anything to do with this. Moreover, Bush by executive order has no power to limit the state law of eminent domain, notwithstanding your “Supremacy Clause.”
And the law authorizing the governor to approve the route and grant condemnation power was passed by the Nebraska legislature, not the Republican Party. The Nebraska legislature is also officially a non-partisan legislative body; there are no Democratic or Republican primaries in that state for state legislative office.
Finally, I was referring to Texas when I said litigation has been unsuccessful to stop TransCanada’s use of Texas law to condemn for the pipeline.
"...state law, not federal." I guess you haven't gotten to the Supremacy Clause yet in paralegal school. State law is subservient to Federal law when they are in conflict. Why don't you try getting slavery passed in your state and claim that it's legal because it's "state law, not federal."
"Litigation has been unsuccessful..." Tell it to the judge...
the right metallurgy, coating, and double or even triple walled pipe can cure a lot of sins. technology has changed since the old pipes were built in the 40s and 50s.
...and good old human error will inevitably result in oil leaks.
The Center for Biological Diversity analysis is based on decades of records from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration:
Released one day before the U.S. Senate votes on the Keystone XL pipeline, a new analysis of federal records shows that in just the past year and four months, there have been 372 oil and gas pipeline leaks, spills, and other incidents, leading to 20 deaths, 117 injuries, and more than $256 million in damages.
In total there have been more than 8,700 significant incidents with U.S. pipelines involving death, injury, and economic and environmental damage since 1986, the Center reports—more than 300 per year.
Yeah, technology for these pipelines is soooooooooo different, these days. Safe! Spill free! Keep catapulting the propaganda!
Or a better question might be, if the car was a new invention, would libs like you allow them to be built?
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actually, it is, just as design of buildings to better withstand earthquakes has changed
Maybe not at these prices, but everyone knows those prices won't last forever.
The why are those greedy oil people spending 5 to 10 times the cost of pipelines to move a whole lot of oil by rail?
I didn't say we have pipelines everyfuckingwhere. You know we truck petroleum products all over the place too.
the 22nd .