Op-Ed: Obama will approve Keystone Pipeline
About Michael John ScottMr. Scott is the owner and publisher of Mad Mike's America. He is a U.S. Army veteran, career law enforcement executive, and dog trainer. He is a university professor, and criminal justice consultant, holding several degrees, including a master's in criminal justice and human services. He has completed the requisite coursework toward his doctorate, and is still working on his dissertation.
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Barack Obama has accomplished much, but protecting the environment isn’t high on his list of priorities. From cozying up to Big Oil, blocking stronger ozone layer standards, to removing wolves from the endangered species list, weakening EPA regulations, considering a resumption of whale hunting, and allowing extensive offshore drilling, it’s safe to say that Barack Obama is actually a worse steward of the environment than the notorious George Bush.
Because of his dismal record, approval of the environmentally disastrous Keystone pipeline should come as a surprise to no one. Recent reports such as the one from his own State Department will be relied upon and curiously, the effects of sequestration, should it be allowed to continue, will give the president yet another reason to approve the pipeline. He has traveled the country talking about the thousands of jobs that will be lost in the coming months, so he may now claim, erroneously, that the construction and maintenance of the Keystone XL pipeline will provide thousands of jobs. Now while that may be true in the short term, it won’t be anywhere near the amount lost due to government bungling, and once the pipeline is completed those jobs will vanish.
A long-awaited State Department report on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline is proving to be a bitter disappointment to environmentalists, reports Politico. The draft report issued late this afternoon does not give President Obama a clear yes-or-no recommendation on whether the project should move forward, but it generally plays down the environmental risks of the 1,700-mile pipeline from Canada, reports USA Today. The newspaper calls it a “largely positive” review.
On December 27, 2012, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson resigned, citing, among other things, the president’s reluctance to pursue the cap and trade bill, designed to address climate change. The beltway grapevine, however, suggests that Obama had indicated he would approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and this was the final store for the embattled Jackson.
This latest report will be the smoking gun for pipeline approval, and since it was conducted by the administration, albeit an administration friendly to Big Oil, and not Big Oil itself, the president will point to it as proof that the project will not be damaging to the environment, thus attempting to neutralize the arguments and objections from the Green side of the nation.
So, if you’re waiting for President Obama to do the right thing when it comes to the environment you might be waiting a long time. Barack Obama is from Chicago, and you don’t find a lot of trees, clean air, wolves or whales in the Windy City.
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Lyndon Probus
March 2, 2013 at 10:14 am
Mike I have to agree with your compelling op-ed. Despite his many, many campaign promises Obama has turned out to be yet another tool of Big Oil. His dream is to make America independent of OPEC, despite what it might do to the environment. Given that he’s a deliberate thinker, I suspect he has weighed carefully the pros and cons, and I’m afraid the environment will end up in the wrong column. Good point, by the way, with sequestration job loss.
Michael John Scott
March 2, 2013 at 7:22 pm
We’ve gone down the proverbial rabbit hole once again Lyndon.
Dale Fisk
March 2, 2013 at 11:22 am
I like to think the pres has a plan, a long range plan, at least one that works for the next three years.
Winkwithme73
March 2, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Obama lost me right after that health care thing and he just sat back and yawned, and he doesn’t give a shit about the environment. Still a dem but no Obama supporter.
James Smith
March 2, 2013 at 5:14 pm
As I have said before, in many ways, BHO could be the hand-picked successor to “W”. It is ironic to me that the GOP opposed every word he says. Much of which started as their idea.
They would have been far better off to simply throw the last election and save those resources to find and promote someone that can defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Right now, they don;t have likely candidate and seem to be slipping further behind each month.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, given the direction they have taken lately and show no inclination to alter course.
Michael John Scott
March 2, 2013 at 7:11 pm
I’ve never seen the country in worse shape and I’ve been around a while. Then again I didn’t really start paying much attention until I was in my 40′s.
Peter Lake
March 2, 2013 at 7:14 pm
Sorry folks. No Obama fan here. In 2004 yes, but not now, and never again. The next thing that will happen is to end the sequester he will attempt to cut medicare so that the republicans will agree. Mark my words and remember where you heard it first.
Michael John Scott
March 2, 2013 at 7:57 pm
I think this will also be a pawn in the sequestration, debt ceiling talks. I would be surprised if the president doesn’t promise approval in exchange for some kind of deal. That’s what he did with the wolves.
lincoln82
March 2, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Wow Mike you make a scary point. That’s how these things go down anyway, with under the table deals that aren’t mad public until they’re done.
AnonymousNot
March 2, 2013 at 8:18 pm
I still have faith he’s got a plan, because he’s too damn smart NOT to have a plan…isn’t he?
rick66
March 2, 2013 at 9:33 pm
No way will he approve this thing. No way.
Jerry D.
March 3, 2013 at 3:14 pm
This is a good op-ed. Like to see more of them.