Slope, nobody minds if you are opposed to a pipeline heading east. It's expected that there will be opposition. But there's a whole lot of invention in your posts.
First, you dream up imaginary "public subsidies" to scare everyone. No such subsidies have been discussed, nor are any likely -- though public subsidies have assisted the oil industry from Fort McMurray to Hibernia, and still do.
You say: "The distance is great; the terrain is difficult, ergo construction will be costly, toll fees will high."
Either you don't know the facts, or you're intentionally misleading. Which is it?
Because the pipeline is already built.
As the Trans-Canada CEO stated: 'There are "integrity issues' that come from switching a natural gas pipe to an oil pipe, but it's something TransCanada has experience doing in building its base Keystone system, which currently delivers Alberta crude to refineries in Illinois and a big storage hub in Cushing, Okla.
"I think it's likely technically feasible that we can make something like that work.'
About refineries, you said "A number have closed down in eastern Canada over the past few years."
None on the east coast of Canada; in fact one has expanded.
You said: "Bitumen requires new refinery technology. Not in my backyard (NIMBY) politics drives up costs and make new greenfield refineries expensive if not impossible."
"Eastern Canadian refiners have asked TransCanada whether it's feasible to send Western Canadian crude their way so that they don't have to buy a raw product based on higher international prices."
Yeah, asking for crude is pretty NIMBY. Have you checked the newspapers in New Brunswick and Newfoundland? Funny, they're eager -- but you say they're not.
Politicians, refiners and ordinary people asking for crude. The exact opposite of BC.
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"Alberta oil companies should look east to refine their petroleum, former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna says ... Additions to Irving's refinery plant could handle the crude from Alberta's oil sands, said McKenna, who is deputy chairman of the TD Bank Group and member of the board of directors of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. A new line could be built from Montreal to Saint John. One East Coast refinery, the Irving Refinery of Saint John, is the largest refinery in Canada and the largest refinery on the East Coast. It is capable of using heavy oil at the present time and with the addition of a coker could process raw bitumen into synthetic crude oil." he wrote in the Financial Post."
... Carolyn Van der Veen, director of public affairs for Irving Oil, said it could possibly be done."We've processed Canadian crude in the past and may do so in the future if logistics are viable,” she said.'
You said: "One option is to force western Canada producers to sell at below market prices to eastern buyers as was done under the National Energy Policy in the 1970s. Western Canada won't stand for it. Moreover, it might sound patriotic and generous (sic) and fair (sic) but it is bad economics."
That's what's called a Straw Man argument. Nobody even suggested such a thing. It's a figment of your imagination. Completely invented to lend false credibility, and extraneous to the discussion.
There isn't time to list more of the rhetorical tricks in your post, including your hand-over-heart paean to greenness and clean air. You want the pipeline to go west. Fine. No need for invention; just say so.
For others, who want a more factual presentation of the issue, please see:
How Oil Makes Canada Four (Or Five) Different Countries
blogs.canoe.ca
Regards,
Jim |
