ECON The true price of anti-pipeline politics

20Gauge

TB Fanatic

The United States is on the verge of an energy crisis of its own making.


The price of oil recently hit a seven-year high on the back of rising geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East. With tensions rising between Ukraine and Russia, and no end in sight to existing supply chain disruptions, industry analysts expect prices to soar to over $100 a barrel before the end of the year.

If they are correct, inflation and economic uncertainty will be driven even higher than they are today, as will the dollar value of our energy imports from strategic adversaries. Unfortunately for the United States, this is a crisis of its own making.

While all the blame for foreign instability or the lasting effects of the pandemic is not on the Biden administration, our country’s current predicament would be far more manageable if its policy toolkit wasn’t constrained by artificial controversy surrounding the critical infrastructure of our national energy system, especially pipelines.

Oil and gas pipelines serve the same function as the body’s circulatory system, carrying the compounds that heat our homes and fuel our economy across the country. Although alternative transportation methods exist, in most situations pipelines are the safest and most efficient means of moving energy from Point A to Point B.

Given that energy infrastructure is essential to controlling prices and mitigating supply challenges, it is crucial that its construction is protected from interference.
For a pipeline to be built, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a nonpartisan organization tasked with evaluating public works, must first determine that 1) it can be constructed and operated safely without significant environmental impact and 2) no superior alternative exists. If a comprehensive review of the project by the Corps cannot verify that these and other requirements are met, then construction is not allowed to proceed.


Despite the existence of an effective, rigorous regulatory system, pipelines continue to be vilified by a small but vocal group of activists as environmental monstrosities built without regard for local communities and their surrounding ecosystems. This narrative and its consequences are encapsulated by the fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), critical oil infrastructure that has operated safely for years, has overwhelming public support, and is already the most studied and regulated pipeline in US history.

Legal opposition to DAPL has centered on two arguments: that the environmental review process conducted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers professionals was flawed, and that community engagement leading up to construction was insufficient. Because these claims are inherently subjective, politics and fringe opinions rooted in distortions of reality can penetrate the regulatory process. As a result, the Corps must now produce an additional statement on the environmental impact of DAPL, despite its years-long safe operations record.

DAPL’s operator is confident that the final environmental impact statement will reinforce the Corps’ earlier assessments. However, its opponents’ success in threatening the pipeline for the better part of a decade, leveraging sympathetic and non-expert judges, has created a dangerous precedent.

Without confidence that our judicial system will uphold the integrity of the regulatory process and dismiss spurious legal challenges, energy companies are now far less likely to invest in similar projects. Besides creating local jobs, generating tax revenue, bolstering the national economy, and ensuring the reliable delivery of energy to consumer markets, pipelines like DAPL reduce our dependence on foreign oil as well as our vulnerability to supply shortages like the current one.

All of these benefits and more are at risk of being lost unless something is changed.

Given that energy infrastructure is essential to controlling prices and mitigating supply challenges, it is crucial that its construction is protected from interference. To that end, the Supreme Court should reverse the lower court decision requiring additional environmental review of DAPL and bring six years of undue controversy to a close.

At the onset of the pandemic, pipeline opponents celebrated the crash in global demand for oil and gas as a death knell for America’s energy industry. Now, with prices soaring, it is undeniable that demand will remain high for the foreseeable future.

Piper Sandler chief investment strategist Michael Kantrowitz discusses how higher interest rates will impact the economy.

Instead of allowing activists to hijack America’s judicial system in a misguided attempt to force a premature transition to renewables, President Biden should use this moment to revert to an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy like the one endorsed by his Democratic predecessor that affirms the importance of oil, natural gas and their essential infrastructure. At a minimum, current regulatory processes should be insulated against activist litigation. Otherwise, $100 a barrel may soon seem like a bargain. And with all the challenges before us, let’s not add to that list unnecessarily.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
If the price of gas doubled in a year. Imagine how bad it can get in 4 years?

Even if it only jumped 25% per year, you would be looking at gas of nearly $7 per gallon by the time his first 4 years are over.

( note: assuming $3.5 starting point as we in SE GA currently are )

Think how much you will pay for everything if the price of gas gets that high.
 

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
Heck California would be looking at $15 gas

Fuel deliveries would look like this...


R.b9c0288c87c5a5e8032a81c452c1f546



Messican cartels would be running fuel, not drugs.
 

Knight_Loring

Veteran Member
Bidet approved Russia's Nord Stream 2 and killed the Keystone pipeline early into his administration in 2021.

That shows he does not care about regular Americans. Why make the citizens suffer so much by paying so much at the pumps.
His policies are causing major pain to the middle class working Americans.

Where are the voices of our congressional representatives on this?
 

Raggedyman

Res ipsa loquitur
  1. Bidet approved Russia's Nord Stream 2 and killed the Keystone pipeline early into his administration in 2021.
  2. His policies are causing major pain to the middle class working Americans.
  3. Where are the voices of our congressional representatives on this?

  1. a point COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN by the vast majority of 'murrKKuns and actively cheered by assklowns and idiots in the department of CRYMATE change science
  2. a FEATURE not fault of WEF policies and their commie minions
  3. screeching about their RE ELECTION

Now they can devote all their efforts to graft and corruption.

buda BOOM!!!
:applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:


 

Knight_Loring

Veteran Member
From multiple sources recently, it is reported that 40% of Americans have less than one thousand dollars saved up.
If true, these gas prices are crippling 40% of Americans budgets.

Bidet keeps repeating the fact that gas prices are going higher. But he does NOTHING to counter the rising prices.
WTH? There is no plan from the white house to relieve the pain at the pumps.

He tried to get help from the Saudi's last week, they said nay nay to pumping more oil.
Supposedly, Russia is selling oil to everyone greatly increasing their wealth.

Whose side is Bidet on anyway?
 

Knight_Loring

Veteran Member
Bidet to Americans;

Gas prices have more than doubled in my first year.
Heads up fellow Americans, as I have stated repeatedly in the past several days, gas prices are going up from here.

I have offered no plan to help relieve the pain you are all feeling by filling your vehicles.
 

wobble

Veteran Member
Bidet approved Russia's Nord Stream 2 and killed the Keystone pipeline early into his administration in 2021.

That shows he does not care about regular Americans. Why make the citizens suffer so much by paying so much at the pumps.
His policies are causing major pain to the middle class working Americans.

Where are the voices of our congressional representatives on this?
Destroying American lives and families.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Bidet to Americans;

Gas prices have more than doubled in my first year.
Heads up fellow Americans, as I have stated repeatedly in the past several days, gas prices are going up from here.

I have offered no plan to help relieve the pain you are all feeling by filling your vehicles.
Actually he did. He suggested you buy an electric car..... granted there are none available, but I doubt he remembers telling us that one.
 

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Bidet approved Russia's Nord Stream 2 and killed the Keystone pipeline early into his administration in 2021.

That shows he does not care about regular Americans. Why make the citizens suffer so much by paying so much at the pumps.
His policies are causing major pain to the middle class working Americans.

Where are the voices of our congressional representatives on this?
I have no idea what the oil reserves or total production available at Mildred Lake, AB (Ft Mac & area) might be but its lots. There's also considerable Crude & Natural Gas in the ground in Western Canada. Problem is JB & Co won't let any petroleum-based pipeline into the US and the additional stupidity (if that were possible) is its all raw material. Processing into fuels, lubricants etc would have generated US-based jobs and taxes at several levels.

JB is so concerned about American Jobs. I read or heard that on MSM: must be true right?

Canada has its own little issue in that Turdo won't let the resource-rich West transport/pipe line raw petroleum to export ports. He has some provincial gov collaborators there but he could make such exports a reality in jig time.

The fact these two goofs would rather stand on the neck of tax revenue generation, income production and lower cost of living for their respective subjects speaks volumes.
 
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wobble

Veteran Member
Bidet to Americans;

Gas prices have more than doubled in my first year.
Heads up fellow Americans, as I have stated repeatedly in the past several days, gas prices are going up from here.

I have offered no plan to help relieve the pain you are all feeling by filling your vehicles.

"Fellow Americans" is a condescending insult coming from that creep.
 

NoDandy

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Bidet approved Russia's Nord Stream 2 and killed the Keystone pipeline early into his administration in 2021.

That shows he does not care about regular Americans. Why make the citizens suffer so much by paying so much at the pumps.
His policies are causing major pain to the middle class working Americans.

Where are the voices of our congressional representatives on this?
Need change. It is time for regular Americans to cause major pain to politicians !
 
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