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Crossing the "Red Line"

We already have pipelines from canada. One already operating terminates at the refineries in Wood River, IL, and another refinery a bit east, also in IL.

We will in all probability have another, all the way to the gulf coast refineries.

Which pipeline is more likely to supply oil to US customers, and which is more likely to be used to supply oil product to the world market?

With the further review mandated by a responsible administration, this version of the new pipeline will not endanger, at least as badly, a major upper midwest aquifer. (Those folks in the upper plains states that were worried about their water quality, and livelihoods, are not typically left leaning, or radicals... Btw...)

The shale oil will then be conveniently staged where it can be shipped Anywhere In The World. even, and especially, to China.

Allowing a Canadian company to build a pipeline to the gulf coast refineries benefits the Canadian oil co, the Canadian pipeline co, the Refineries' Owners, the shipping companies, the commodities traders, the Chinese, and even OPEC, by enabling the cheapest way to get the product to The World Market.

Subsidized by the US taxpayer.

Don't pretend that it directly benefits the US consumer, with lower prices, or that it will necessarily lessen our imports of foreign oil.

We will get our oil from where the commodities traders decide to buy it from, and the US sellers buy it from. That will be whatever makes them the most money.

If we pump more, OPEC pumps less, pushing up their price while conserving their only major export, and their only major leverage.

Lower prices, that do not reflect the actual cost of Ensuring Safe Transit -since those costs are so graciously picked up by the US taxpayer, in the name of "defense" - only prolong our dependence on fossil fuels and inhibit those natural market forces which would push development of alternative energy sources, for those use where they are appropriate.

Forget about any national energy policy. We had our warning in the 70's. Forty years later, and we have... Nothing. Or not much. What we do have, and every attempt to create something responsible, is attacked and opposed by vociferous reactionaries financed by Big Oil.

They have been wrong at every turn. When mileage and smog standards were implemented, the troglodytes screamed that cars would never run right and would be undriveable, unuseable, and unsafe. Now we have a wide range of safer, cleaner, more driveable, and higher value cars than anyone could have imagined. A Caddy that gets 30mpg? A Mustang that performs like a track car and gets better mpg than a VW bug? How many lives have been saved by airbags, ABS, improvements in handling, etc? Cars that are just getting broken in at 100,000 miles? Seriously?

I am not against oil, the oil companies, or the pipeline.

I am against stupid bumper sticker sized sound bytes (drill here, Drill now, Pay less...) masquerading as policy, or wisdom. And, proponents of corporate welfare and subsidies for their pet projects or profit centers who call themselves conservatives.
 
Pickens was already stupidly rich

Make that "In regard to his CNG initiative, swift-boating Kerry was the stupidest thing he could have done..."

The whole CNG thing, whilenit has its merits, and is used on a fairly limited basis by some city transit systems and fleets, never really took off, did it?

Suppose the oilman's freinds in the gov't, and the oil lobbies, had anything to do with that?

Nah... Silly me... They were all eager to give up a slice of their pie, yo know, for the greater good, and all that...
 
We already have pipelines from canada. One already operating terminates at the refineries in Wood River, IL, and another refinery a bit east, also in IL.

We will in all probability have another, all the way to the gulf coast refineries.

Which pipeline is more likely to supply oil to US customers, and which is more likely to be used to supply oil product to the world market?

With the further review mandated by a responsible administration, this version of the new pipeline will not endanger, at least as badly, a major upper midwest aquifer. (Those folks in the upper plains states that were worried about their water quality, and livelihoods, are not typically left leaning, or radicals... Btw...)

The shale oil will then be conveniently staged where it can be shipped Anywhere In The World. even, and especially, to China.

Allowing a Canadian company to build a pipeline to the gulf coast refineries benefits the Canadian oil co, the Canadian pipeline co, the Refineries' Owners, the shipping companies, the commodities traders, the Chinese, and even OPEC, by enabling the cheapest way to get the product to The World Market.

Subsidized by the US taxpayer.

Don't pretend that it directly benefits the US consumer, with lower prices, or that it will necessarily lessen our imports of foreign oil.

We will get our oil from where the commodities traders decide to buy it from, and the US sellers buy it from. That will be whatever makes them the most money.

If we pump more, OPEC pumps less, pushing up their price while conserving their only major export, and their only major leverage.

Lower prices, that do not reflect the actual cost of Ensuring Safe Transit -since those costs are so graciously picked up by the US taxpayer, in the name of "defense" - only prolong our dependence on fossil fuels and inhibit those natural market forces which would push development of alternative energy sources, for those use where they are appropriate.

Forget about any national energy policy. We had our warning in the 70's. Forty years later, and we have... Nothing. Or not much. What we do have, and every attempt to create something responsible, is attacked and opposed by vociferous reactionaries financed by Big Oil.

They have been wrong at every turn. When mileage and smog standards were implemented, the troglodytes screamed that cars would never run right and would be undriveable, unuseable, and unsafe. Now we have a wide range of safer, cleaner, more driveable, and higher value cars than anyone could have imagined. A Caddy that gets 30mpg? A Mustang that performs like a track car and gets better mpg than a VW bug? How many lives have been saved by airbags, ABS, improvements in handling, etc? Cars that are just getting broken in at 100,000 miles? Seriously?

I am not against oil, the oil companies, or the pipeline.

I am against stupid bumper sticker sized sound bytes (drill here, Drill now, Pay less...) masquerading as policy, or wisdom. And, proponents of corporate welfare and subsidies for their pet projects or profit centers who call themselves conservatives.

We get the largest part of our oil from Canada if you check......and its cheaper and less risk environmentaly to pipe it rather than via rail.

If I recollect, it was proposed to go around the aquifer and Obama's contributors had a hissy fit putting Baracky in the same boat as saying Islamic Terror.

I believe TransCanada is a private funded venture.

We had our warnings in the 70's.....so whats your point? Sounded convincing then but I haven't noticed and shortages of crude since then, an abundance if anything.
Must have been ecowonk bullcrap?

And now we have these marvels of fuel efficiency that collapse like an accordion and fit inside a casket for your convenience.

Proponents for coorprate welfare....you referring to Ehtanol subsidies your ecowonks on the left dreamed up creating food supply issues in the third world?
 
I remember the oil crisis of 1973. I remember the 55 speed limit signs going up, the thermostats being raised, lights being turned off. All to save energy. Rather than explore and develop our own resources for the past 40 years, we have become more dependent on the middle east.

Pickens makes a good point about the transfer of wealth to the middle east and dick-taters like the late Hugo Chavez. Recent discoveries in the northern plains show great promise.

Senator Heitkamp of N Dakota gives me hope for the Democrats. Even the liberal Canadian media has taken note:

http://www.theglobea...rticle12495972/

The Canadians stepped in to help Oklahoma and Texas when Obama blocked Keystone. There are ways to get around this administration's policies until he leaves office.

A Canadian company said Monday it will build an oil pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas after President Barack Obama blocked the larger Keystone XL pipeline from Canada .Calgary-based TransCanada says the new project does not require presidential approval, since it does not cross a U.S. border. The shorter pipeline is expected to cost about $2.3 billion and be completed next year, the company said.The Obama administration had suggested development of an Oklahoma-to-Texas line to alleviate an oil glut at a Cushing, Okla., storage hub.Press secretary Jay Carney said Obama welcomed the announcement."Moving oil from the Midwest to the world-class, state-of-the-art refineries on the Gulf Coast will modernize our infrastructure, create jobs, and encourage American energy production," Carney said in a statement. "We look forward to working with TransCanada to ensure that it is built in a safe, responsible and timely manner, and we commit to take every step possible to expedite the necessary feder...

http://www.foxnews.c...da-pipeline.htm
 
Canadian oil going to refineries in IL... Likely it gets used in the US

Canadian oil going to refineries at the huge oil shipping ports on the gulf... Likely it gets shipped to wherever in the world someone pays the most for it. With safe transit guaranteed by the US taxpayer.

Two different things

Yes, the proposed route has been changed to avoid the sensitive areas... Because the US government required further review. It will likely be approved, providing the people's concerns have been adequately addressed.

All good things

Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Rail or trucks was never an option for shipping the canadian tar sands oil to the gulf refineries and ports. The option was Trans Canada having to build a much more expensive pipeline to Canada's west coast. The oil/products are going to end up being sold to whoever pays the most either way... It is just cheaper for Trans Canada to ship it to the gulf. The gulf refineries and shipping facilities will get a cut of the action too. That's fine, just don't act like piping oil to the facilities on the gulf is going to end the US already waning dependence on OPEC, or lower the price you pay at the pump.
 
Snap,

We have become less dependent onthe middle east, tho not independent enough.

55 was a short term, now long gone, savings measure. And a deflection on your part.

The fuel economy standards, dreamt up by those nasty ecowonks, have made a profound difference in our need for oil, and oil imports. Also emissions, which means health and quality of life.

To say otherwise is just a lie.
 
Dell,

If you actually can twist your mind around reality and believe that today's cars are less safe than the death traps I, and I suspect you, grew up driving... Well, good luck, and I jope there are not many more like you out there.

The 65 Fury III I bought at 16 vs the 7 yr old Kia my 16 yr old drives, or even the 12 yr old Neon I just got back from my daughter after she finished with it? absolutely No comparison, in safety, mpg, handling, durability, crash-worthiness, reliability, or any other thing.

Some of that progress may have happened due to the unfettered greed of American car companies. A great deal of it was prompted by federal safety, emission and efficiency standards.

Again, good on 'em, those nasty ecowonks, and more power to 'em.
 
Snap,

We have become less dependent onthe middle east, tho not independent enough.

55 was a short term, now long gone, savings measure. And a deflection on your part.

The fuel economy standards, dreamt up by those nasty ecowonks, have made a profound difference in our need for oil, and oil imports. Also emissions, which means health and quality of life.

To say otherwise is just a lie.

Short term?

The federal 55 mph speed limit lasted from 1974-87. To a 13-year-old, a lifetime. For somebody in their 50's like myself, not so much. Therefore, it's about perception. It's my perception we are dependent enough on mideast oil, a similar embargo to the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo may result in long gas lines and higher prices at the pump.

Look on the bright side, you can breathe that clean air while riding the bicycle to work. Get some excercise as well as contributing to your healthy lifestyle.
 
Dell,

If you actually can twist your mind around reality and believe that today's cars are less safe than the death traps I, and I suspect you, grew up driving... Well, good luck, and I jope there are not many more like you out there.

The 65 Fury III I bought at 16 vs the 7 yr old Kia my 16 yr old drives, or even the 12 yr old Neon I just got back from my daughter after she finished with it? absolutely No comparison, in safety, mpg, handling, durability, crash-worthiness, reliability, or any other thing.

Some of that progress may have happened due to the unfettered greed of American car companies. A great deal of it was prompted by federal safety, emission and efficiency standards.

Again, good on 'em, those nasty ecowonks, and more power to 'em.

Hate to pee on your parade, national traffic safety stats show deaths have increased as structural sacrifice using plastics and aluminum and other means have been employed in the interest of fuel economy. Mileage went up so did casket sales.
 
Ok...

I looked... Cant find Any Thing Any Where to support your contention

Found quite a lot to refute it though. Example to follow.

Seriously, if you believe that a new Focus, or whatever, loaded with airbags, ABS, stability control, etc, is less safe, less driveable, less durable, or less efficient than any car made in any previous decade, you are daft.

Or, you just like saying dumb stuff.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1081029_u-s-traffic-deaths-decline-in-2011-fatality-rate-hits-all-time-low


By Richard Read
1 1,738 viewsDec 11, 2012Follow Richard
Taxi accident
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has completed its analysis of traffic data from last year, and the findings are astonishing. In 2011, fewer people died on U.S. roads than at any time since 1949. Even better: once you factor in the amount of time drivers spent behind the wheel, NHSTA says that the 2011 fatality rate was as low as it's ever been.

That said, there's definitely room for improvement -- and in fact, a couple of areas could spell trouble down the road.

TRAFFIC DEATHS & THE FATALITY RATE




As you might recall, 2010 was an historic year for U.S. drivers. That year, 32,885 people died on America's roadways, and although the number seems high, it was a marked improvement over figures from the previous six decades.

In 2011, that number slipped again. According to NHTSA, there were 32,367 traffic-related fatalities last year, or a drop of about 1.9% from 2010. America hasn't seen that few fatalities since 1949, when the number was 30,246.

But the comparison to mid-20th-century stats isn't entirely fair, since Americans are traveling far more than we did in 1949. In fact, cars and trucks in the U.S. traveled about 2,930,654,000,000,000 miles in 2011, which is just shy of 400 trips across the solar system.

Consider the number of fatalities and the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2011, and you discover that we had about 1.10 deaths per 100,000,000 VMT. That's the lowest on record.

(For reference, Americans motored 424,461,000,000 miles in 1949, or 1.4% of our current totals -- and back then, our fatality rate was 7.3.)

Last year, 36 states saw a drop in traffic fatalities. At the top of the list: Connecticut, which had 100 fewer deaths. It was followed by North Carolina (down 93), Tennessee (down 86), Ohio (down 64), and Michigan (down 53).

At the other end of the scale, three states had increases of more than 50 fatalities. California and New Jersey tied for that grim honor, with both recording 71 additional deaths in 2011. Arizona saw 66 more.

WHAT'S WORKING

According to NHTSA, there are several bright spots in this data, beyond the low number of deaths and the record-low fatality rate.

1. Fatalities fell for everyday drivers. In fact, for those traveling in passenger vehicles (including pickups and SUVs), the number of deaths declined by 4.6%.

2. Drunk-driving fatalities also fell by 2.5% last year -- although alcohol did play a factor in 9,878 deaths, which is a substantial portion of the 32,367 total.

WHAT'S NOT

There are, however, some trouble spots:

1. Fatalities didn't drop in every category. In fact, the number of big rig occupants who died on U.S. roads last year surged 20%. NHTSA doesn't fully understand why that's the case, but the agency is working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to draw some conclusions.

2. Fatalities were also up for motorcyclists (2.1%), pedestrians (3%), and bicyclists (8.7%).

3. Perhaps most alarming, the number of fatalities attributed to distracted driving jumped 1.9%, to 3,331. Though the rise is likely due to texting and other in-car distractions, NHTSA cautions that it may also be due, in part, to improved reporting methods.

It's also worth noting that Americans drove slightly less in 2011 than they did in 2010. Some attribute that to the sluggish economy, and if they're correct, we could see a jump in VMT -- and fatalities -- as the economy picks up speed. (NB: According to early reports, that's already happening in 2012.)

If you have time this Tuesday, there's a lot of interesting data in the NHTSA report. You can download a PDF of the overview from the Department of Transportation website.
 
Dell,

If you actually can twist your mind around reality and believe that today's cars are less safe than the death traps I, and I suspect you, grew up driving... Well, good luck, and I jope there are not many more like you out there.

The 65 Fury III I bought at 16 vs the 7 yr old Kia my 16 yr old drives, or even the 12 yr old Neon I just got back from my daughter after she finished with it? absolutely No comparison, in safety, mpg, handling, durability, crash-worthiness, reliability, or any other thing.

Some of that progress may have happened due to the unfettered greed of American car companies. A great deal of it was prompted by federal safety, emission and efficiency standards.

Again, good on 'em, those nasty ecowonks, and more power to 'em.

Yep. According to the NHTS traffic deaths are power since 1921 since we started keeping record. I remember when the Fed wanted mandate airbus. The manufactures made a a stink about it. Did prices would increase but they would not save lives. Now they cannot put enough air bags in the cars. Same for ABS, SRS, traction control, skid control and all the other do-dads. All contribute to better safety while adding to the bottom line for repair costs.
 
Hate to pee on your parade, national traffic safety stats show deaths have increased as structural sacrifice using plastics and aluminum and other means have been employed in the interest of fuel economy. Mileage went up so did casket sales.
I call BS on this one. I am quite sure you can back up your claim that "deaths have increased as structural sacrifice using plastics and aluminum and other means"...

Of course deaths have increased. So has the amount of cars on the road and people driving.

I am sure your implication was that vehicles are less safe now. Your inference is that before the technology improvements and use of high strength polymers and lighter weight metals, that vehicles were somehow safer. That is of course inaccurate and all the data proves it (as others on this thread have shown).
 
With all due respect............ DUH

310_Cloaseupsmallcar.jpg


CAFE trades lives for oil
CAFE standards caused between 1,300 and 2,600 traffic deaths every year since they were established in 1975 (National Academy of Sciences 2002). This is because the best way to achieve fuel economy is to build lighter cars, which do not protect passengers as well as heavier vehicles during traffic accidents.
The new CAFE standards adopted in 2007 reduce somewhat the incentives for car manufacturers to subsidize the sale of very lightweight cars, but they still will increase the cost of highway accidents – including the costs of fatalities, injuries, and property damage – by at least $885 million a year (NHSTA 2008).
Anti-war activists, many of them environmentalists, sometimes accuse the Bush administration of “trading lives for oil” by deploying troops in the Middle East. But CAFE, which seeks to save a little oil, kills far more Americans each year than die in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why are there are no protests when politicians and bureaucrats trade real American lives for the illusion of energy independence?
http://heartland.org...ifice-lives-oil

But such increases have unintended safety consequences for the safety of drivers and passengers. The reason is because carmakers build lighter and smaller cars that burn less fuel to comply with CAFE standards.11 The trade-off is these lighter, smaller cars fare much worse in violent crashes, resulting in greater rates of death and injury for occupants.
A number of studies have documented the lethal consequences of requiring carmakers to improve fuel standards.
* According to a 2003 NHTSA study, when a vehicle is reduced by 100 pounds the estimated fatality rate increases as much as 5.63 percent for light cars weighing less than 2,950 pounds, 4.70 percent for heavier cars weighing over 2,950 pounds and 3.06 percent for light trucks. Between model years 1996 and 1999, these rates translated into additional traffic fatalities of 13,608 for light cars, 10,884 for heavier cars and 14,705 for light trucks.12
* A 2001 National Academy of Sciences panel found that constraining automobile manufacturers to produce smaller, lighter vehicles in the 1970s and early 1980s "probably resulted in an additional 1,300 to 2,600 traffic fatalities in 1993."13

* An extensive 1999 USA Today analysis of crash data found that since CAFE went into effect in 1978, 46,000 people died in crashes they otherwise would have survived, had they been in bigger, heavier vehicles. This, according to a 1999 USA Today analysis of crash data since 1975, roughly figures to be 7,700 deaths for every mile per gallon gained in fuel economy standards.14
* The USA Today report also said smaller cars - such as the Chevrolet Cavalier or Dodge Neon - accounted for 12,144 fatalities or 37 percent of vehicle deaths in 1997, though such cars comprised only 18 percent of all vehicles.15
* A 1989 Harvard-Brookings study estimated CAFE "to be responsible for 2,200-3,900 excess occupant fatalities over ten years of a given [car] model years' use." Moreover, the researchers estimated between 11,000 and 19,500 occupants would suffer serious but nonfatal crash injuries as a result of CAFE.16
* The same Harvard-Brookings study found CAFE had resulted in a 500-pound weight reduction of the average car. As a result, occupants were put at a 14 to 27 percent greater risk of traffic death.17
* Passengers in small cars die at a much higher rate when involved in traffic accidents with large cars. Traffic safety expert Dr. Leonard Evans estimates that drivers in lighter cars may be 12 times as likely to be killed in a crash when the other vehicle is twice as heavy as the lighter car.18
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA546CAFEStandards.html

The new standards had no success in lowering fuel consumption. Quite the contrary -- since it now cost less to fill the tank, people drove more. Within a few years, this "rebound effect" doubled average fuel usage. As a result, oil imports increased from 35% of consumption in 1975 to 52% by the year 2000.

The new regulations did accomplish one thing -- they killed drivers and passengers in large numbers. By lightening cars and removing material, auto companies were inadvertently discarding the armor that protected motorists in the event of a crash. Similarly, the compressed new models lacked space for impact forces to attenuate before causing damage and injury. Drivers in lightweight cars were as much as twelve times more likely to die in a crash. It was once said about American autos that they were "built like tanks." Many of the new models from the late '70s onward more closely resembled go-carts -- and proved to be about as sturdy.

Studies have repeatedly demonstrated the fatal results of mileage regulations, starting in 1989 with the Brookings Institution (in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health), followed by USA Today in 1999, the National Academy of Sciences in 2001, and at last the federal government's own National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration in 2003. This formidable lineup of organizations all came to the same conclusion: Fuel standards kill.

According to the Brookings Institution, a 500-lb weight reduction of the average car increased annual highway fatalities by 2,200-3,900 and serious injuries by 11,000 and 19,500 per year. USA Today found that 7,700 deaths occurred for every mile per gallon gained in fuel economy standards. Smaller cars accounted for up to 12,144 deaths in 1997, 37% of all vehicle fatalities for that year. The National Academy of Sciences found that smaller, lighter vehicles "probably resulted in an additional 1,300 to 2,600 traffic fatalities in 1993." The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration study demonstrated that reducing a vehicle's weight by only one hundred pounds increased the fatality rate by as much as 5.63% for light cars, 4.70% for heavier cars, and 3.06% for light trucks. These rates translated into additional traffic fatalities of 13,608 for light cars, 10,884 for heavier cars, and 14,705 for light trucks between 1996 and 1999.

How many deaths have resulted? Depending on which study you choose, the total ranges from 41,600 to 124,800. To that figure we can add between 352,000 and 624,000 people suffering serious injuries, including being crippled for life. In the past thirty years, fuel standards have become one of the major causes of death and misery in the United States -- and one almost completely attributable to human stupidity and shortsightedness.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/04/death_by_cafe_standards.html

The reason is simple logic. The more fuel-efficient automobiles become, the more people want to drive. Instead of promoting conservation, CAFE standards have resulted in more people driving longer distances, consuming more gasoline. Even the Washington Post editorial page agrees. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Americans are driving more than twice as many miles as they did thirty years ago.

Senators Kerry and Hollings’ plan would also sacrifice auto safety. A 1999 Gannett News Service study credits CAFE standards with an astounding 46,000 traffic fatalities that could have been avoided, as consumers have been forced into smaller and lighter automobiles. An earlier study done by researchers at Harvard and the Brookings Institute found that for every 100 pounds trimmed off new automobiles to meet CAFE standards, 440 to 780 people were killed in accidents — a total of 2,200 to 3,900 per year.
http://www.cfif.org/..._standards.html


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