Coal: Possible Good News?

Today, there appeared two articles that hint at hope that our local pending catastrophe might be averted. At least that's an inference I'd like to draw.

The first was the announcement that the Obama administration has delayed any decision on the Canadian-sponsored Keystone XL Pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Nice.

This project seeks to convey Alberta Tar Sands Oil to US refineries in Oklahoma & Texas.

Canada, already our No. 1 oil supplier, has counted on this huge project being approved to market a large portion of its ultra-expensive -and environmentally destructive- petroleum products to its nearest -and neediest- neighbor.

Predictably, these types of comments were made from the palpably angry, but still salivating proponents:

Jack N. Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said of the president’s decision, “This is all about politics and keeping a radical constituency, opposed to any and all oil and gas development, in the president’s camp in 2012. Whether it will help the president retain his job is unclear but it will cost thousands of shovel-ready opportunities for American workers.”

“If Keystone XL dies,” said Russell K. Girling, the company’s chief executive, “Americans will still wake up the next morning and continue to import 10 million barrels of oil from repressive nations without the benefit of thousands of jobs and long-term energy security.”

Nice. Petulance and pressure, combined with fear tactics to con, cajole or coerce the US to keep mainlining its fossil fuel addiction and subsidies for the same. Aren't we tired of those tactics?

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The second announcement was promulgated by Secretary of Interior Salazar, which included the San Juan Islands in a list of areas proposed for designation as worthy of protection as significant wildernesses of national importance.

Care to speculate on what that might entail as far as restrictions on ultra-large vessels navigating & hanging out in our fair waters? That gives me some hope that the Feds may actually be trying to help our side, but who knows?

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On a related note, Floyd Mckay posted this article on Crosscut. Check it out.