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Canada is an 'embarrassing failure' on the world stage due to environmental oversight of oil industry

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    Canada is an 'embarrassing failure' on the world stage due to environmental oversight of oil industry

    Why is Canada being such a schmuck? In worldwide oil play, where every other country does whatever it can to develop its oil and gas assets, how is it that Canada is the only player actively taking itself out of the game?

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s latest announcement that there will be additional delays in pipeline approvals must have prompted a chuckle that began in the U.S. and turned into an all out belly-splitter by the time it spread to Venezuela, the Middle East and North Africa. These countries get the main rule that we don’t: he who can deliver first, wins.

    Anyone who still believes the environmental narrative that restricting oil production is about saving the Earth is naive; it’s all about money.

    Let’s take the example of the United States. While Canada writhes to accommodate American concerns about our oil, the U.S. has taken complete advantage of the delay by exploiting its resources, and why wouldn’t it? It’s what smart countries do. In the time it’s taken to quash the proposed 1,400 kilometres of Keystone XL pipeline, 19,200 kilometres of American pipeline has been built, some of it serving Canada.

    The U.S. has quickly gone from being an importer of oil, to becoming the largest oil producer in the world, now exporting overseas for the first time in 40 years. The large American-owned oil companies operating in Canada are actually doing quite well; in fact, the more paralysis on Canadian fronts, the bigger their value stateside. We’ve just paid for that by sacrificing the smaller Canadian companies with no net decrease in overall oil production. Oops.

    In fact, while our governments are being do-goody apologists-in-chief, Washington has furthermore committed to helping Kenya raise $18 billion for a 900-kilometre pipeline that will roll through endangered species habitats in the Great Rift Valley to the Indian Ocean. It’s only an environmental issue it seems, when it’s a Canadian pipeline.

    We even marginalize ourselves in our own country. How amusing it must seem to our competitors, that in turning on ourselves, we implode our industry, unable to get pipelines built to supply even our own family.
    The irony that Eastern Canada will buy even more oil from the U.S. rather than from a domestic industry that employs so many of them and pays so many of their bills, is beyond a joke. That Canada sits on the third largest oil reserves in the world, and we can’t even create domestic independence, much less an export industry, is not only an embarrassing failure, but one can hardly imagine that it’s prudent national policy. Yet here we are.

    Looking forward to a guarantee of massive government grants, alternative energy sources are the new frontier of capitalism, good at sponsoring the rhetoric that fits the stick-it-to-the-man perspective we seem to absorb with such fervour and lack of critical thinking. As for the other objectors, does anyone really think obstruction of pipelines can’t be salved with more money?

    For its part, Alberta’s carbon tax will reduce energy use not a whit, but will cycle more money to government.

    Ottawa’s new rules for project approval will be arbitrary, based on cabinet political opinion rather than the evidence-based science of National Energy Board professionals who achieve the most stringent standards on the planet.

    This is nothing less than a way for the feds to take control of provincial assets — an egregious interference and outrageous demonstration of political swagger.

    More dithering on pipelines is likely to make this all a moot point: Demand for oil doesn’t remain unsatisfied, and someone else will fill the order.

    Delaying pipelines just changes who profits — and apparently, it won’t be Canada, even in Canada.

    What rubes we must seem, behaving as though we believe other countries are joining us in a kind of lower-emissions Peace Corps initiative. Outmanoeuvred we are in this game, to say the least.

    I couldn't agree any more.

    #2
    And we just came out of 10 years of Conservative rule. If we didn't get er done during a business-friendly regime, when will it be?

    Comment


      #3
      That is the question we need to be asking is why the hell didn't it get done? Incompetence?
      Arrogance? Lack of negotiation skill? Or would the pipeline bring canada together more than exonically? And that wasn't the goal at all of re last government was it, now let's separate right?

      Comment


        #4
        Why in this country cant we get our shit together is the question I ask.
        The east always since time began want money for nothing and the west sends it to them.
        Yes that is true but we need a politician with vision.

        Railways had vision uniting the country.
        Maybe oil pipe line is the next and double the track.
        I don't know but right now were divided as hell again.

        Comment


          #5
          It will never happen. Between the anti pipeliners, natives and there back to the earth attitude and a greedy Quebec govt/population, and a federal govt with no balls this pipeline dream will NEVER HAPPEN.

          Comment


            #6
            It's divide and conquer.

            Harper did put the east west problem on the back burner. He deserves credit for that.

            Too bad he couldn't convince people that a pipeline is in the national interest.

            The only effective way of dealing with the eastern blackmailers is to threaten separation. No western premier has the cajones to tell the eastern leeches to **** off.

            Comment


              #7
              One failure of the previous governments was that they went all in on Keystone XL, believing it would go through. As far as energy east I believe it was just entering the now extended NEB approval process when the election started. As for any pipeline through BC you have Christie Clark and many aboriginal groups standing in the way. The main reason was and still is lack of balls, no one has the nerve to take the bulls by the horn!

              Alberta used to be the economic driver of Canada, now we will be just another province with higher taxes, big deficits and fewer jobs.

              Comment


                #8
                As I have said many times....thanks to diefenbaker gardiner and Douglas and others for having the balls to push thru lake diefenbaker.

                Saskatchewan wouldn't exist without that type of vision.

                Almost every potash mine and 75 percent of the province's population gets water from that project.

                And Canada could be so much more if......

                Comment


                  #9
                  The clout of the envirowackos was such that it wasn't going to happen under the previous government and is sure as heck isn't going to happen under a government that is completely comprised of envirowackos.

                  These people are too stupid to know what they need and will die if given what they think they want.

                  But let's blame Harper, as Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna repeatedly did in a recent interview - "...the former government..."

                  And it's going to slowly strangle development and industry in Canada.

                  [URL="http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/jen-gerson-anti-pipeline-activism-offers-nothing-more-than-pyrrhic-victory"]http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/jen-gerson-anti-pipeline-activism-offers-nothing-more-than-pyrrhic-victory[/URL]

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Here are some pipelines that were approved by NEB when Harper was PM and were constructed:

                    http://www.enbridge.com/BakkenPipelineProjects/BakkenPipelineProjectCanada.aspx

                    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_Pipeline (Keystone Phase 1)

                    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Clipper_pipeline (Alberta Clipper)

                    http://www.enbridge.com/ECRAI.aspx Line 9 Reversal (Eastern Canadian Refinery Access Initiative)

                    http://www.kindermorgan.com/content/docs/575_anchorloopNEB.pdf

                    http://www.enbridge.com/Line4Extension.aspx

                    http://www.enbridge.com/EdmontonHardistyPipeline.aspx

                    http://www.enbridge.com/BakkenPipelineProjects/BakkenPipelineProjectCanada.aspx

                    It is questionable any of these projects would be approved now with all the extra GHG hoops to jump through by the drama teacher and his team of loons.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Oliver88

                      Any idea how many miles that is and it's economic benefit?

                      That would be worth showing to the people blocking additional capacity.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by bucket View Post
                        Oliver88

                        Any idea how many miles that is and it's economic benefit?

                        That would be worth showing to the people blocking additional capacity.
                        Here is an example of the Alberta Clipper for BPD and miles of pipe.
                        You're right it would be nice to show benefits showing jobs added, GDP, etc.



                        Alberta Clipper (also known as Enbridge's Line 67) is an oil pipeline in North America. It is owned and operated by Enbridge and is part of the extensive Enbridge Pipeline System. The pipeline runs from Hardisty, Alberta, in Canada, to Superior, Wisconsin, in the United States, integrating the company's Canadian oil sands pipeline system with the Lakehead system in the United States.[1]

                        Construction on the pipeline began in summer 2008.[1] Detailed engineering for the Canadian portion was carried out by WorleyParsons. The majority of pipeline was built by the consortium of Michels Corporation, Precision Pipeline and US Pipeline, while Willbros Group built the portion between Sherwood Park and Hardisty, and the joint venture of Robert B Somerville and Techint Canada built three sections of the pipeline.

                        The pipeline was placed into service on April 1, 2010. The first shipment was moved in October 2010.[2]

                        The initial capacity of the 1,607-kilometre (999 mi) pipeline is 450,000 barrels per day (72,000 m3/d) which after expansion may be increased up to 800,000 barrels per day (130,000 m3/d).[3] It has pump stations at Hardisty, Alberta, Kerrobert, Milden, Cromer, Glenboro, Gretna, Viking, Minnesota, Clearbrook, and Deer River.[2] The diameter of the pipe is 36 inches (910 mm).[1] The pipeline cost US$3.3 billion.[2][4]

                        In 2013, Enbridge applied for the expansion project. At the first stage by 2014, the capacity would have increased up to 570,000 barrels per day (91,000 m3/d) and at the second stage by 2015, the capacity would have increased up to 880,000 barrels per day (140,000 m3/d).[5] However, the plan was delayed due to the delay of the United States presidential permit.[6

                        Comment


                          #13
                          To show support for the Energy East pipeline there was a vote in the House of Commons today, this shows where the MP's truly stand as far as developing pipelines.

                          Quite concerning is how Ralph Goodale and all the Sask/Alberta Liberal/NDP MP's voted.

                          http://www.parl.gc.ca/HouseChamberBusiness/ChamberVoteDetail.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=42&S es=1&Vote=11&GroupBy=party&FltrParl=42&FltrSes=1

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Oliver88

                            Finally got that vote to come up.

                            That's nuts for MPs to not represent their constituents.

                            Seemed like a well worded vote.

                            More than one person in those PM interviews said this country needed jobs and these guys vote against it........why?

                            If these pipelines got approval today it's still a while away for the benefits to start showing up. The longer they delay the worse it gets.

                            They are going to look stupid if oil gets back to 70 bucks and eastern refineries are buying foreign oil when they could be buying cheaper domestic feedstock.

                            Oh well pretty sure Irving oil has booked a lot of cheap saudi oil for the foreseeable future. They didn't get wealthy by being stupid.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Very hard to figure out for sure.
                              But my big question is if all the conservatives are in favor, why didn't Harper push it through in the last 10 yrs instead of wasting all that time and money on Keystone when everyone could see that the USA didn't want it.

                              He could have built refineries here instead.

                              Comment

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