Keystone Pipeline and Obama's Alter Ego

This planet’s petroleum resources are both finite and running out.  I will always trust the judgment of scientists over politicians and experts over paranoid conspiracy theorists.  Neither do I let ideology trump intelligence.  With that in mind, let me state as strongly as I possibly can, that there is no doubt that petroleum, laid down when the earth was warmer, wetter, and with land masses concentrated much closer to the equator than they are now, is limited.  We are sucking down this liquid gold like it was iced tea at a Jackson, Mississippi book club.  And it will be gone, probably within the next half century. 

            In 1956, geophysicist, Marion King Hubbert, a University of Chicago trained scientist for Shell Oil, developed mathematical models showing that the United States oil production would peak in the 1970’s and decline thereafter.  It did.  He predicted that world oil production would decline some 30 years later.  Well, he missed that one, but not by much.  Oil production is currently being sustained by technology, not raw material.  Consider this; previously, we could only retrieve about 35% of the oil from wells.  Now, we are extracting up to 65% of the oil.  Not more oil, just better equipment.   OPEC in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, are not to be trusted (no surprise there!) in their estimations of oil reserves.  Proof of this comes from the percentage of water in the oil.  As oil levels decline, water is used to push petroleum out.  This, “water cut” represents the water pumped into the well to push the oil out.  The water cut levels of 30-50 per cent in the Saudi’s giant Ghawar field indicate how strained the production has become. 

            Now the Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Project wants to build a 36 inch oil pipeline to transport crude oil, recovered from oil sands in Alberta, Canada, through the United States (Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) to refinery and delivery terminals on the Gulf of Mexico.   There is no way that this is going to expand the amount of oil in the world, or delay the day when we have nothing left at all.  But is will create jobs, it will temporarily increase oil resources available, and maybe buy us some time to find renewable, nonpolluting, economically affordable alternatives to petroleum.  This pipeline will do only minimal good for the long range energy goals of this country, but it is a good deal for our economy.  It also shows a proper respect for our logistic, historic, cultural and emotional connection with our best neighbor and friend, Canada. 

            When President Obama’s Department of State, at his request, rejected the acceptance of this construction, he showed an alter ego that is always present, but usually masked.  This President, and his talking heads, are masters of dissimulation.  They say all the right things while doing all the wrong ones.  They are talking about concern for the Nebraska Sand Hills.  This is a problem solved in November by agreement with the state of Nebraska.  Their concern for the Ogallala Aquifer, which runs from Northern Texas to South Dakota and is crossed with miles of pipeline is both late and irrelevant.  The President and his re-election team are throwing workers in this country under the bus to do two things.  First, he is trying to placate the environmentalist who hate this country and look forward to our demise.  Second, he is trying to keep the workers of this country poor, underemployed and, “beholden” to the government for succor.  This was a political decision.  A pandering decision.  A wrong decision.  It was also a typical decision for this White House and the Democratic Party. 

            Support Keystone and keep the faith.