The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

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TRP originally filed for approval in 2008. The NEPA Environmental Impact Studies received positive opinions from the State Department and were put out for public comment. As a result of negotiations with the States and Feds,numerous safeguards were added to the design. The recent reversals are clearly the result of environmental activist pressure brought against the president. I guess nothing is final until the public comment period closes. However, there was significant comment flowing both ways on this project.

There are so many things that Obama could have done which would have made more sense rather than delaying the project until after the election. For instance, the leg of the pipeline from Cushing OK to the Gulf refineries could have been approved. This would help alleviate the oil glut in Cushing (as did the recent pipeline flow direction reversal). It would also help the refineries which are configured for sour crude which Venezuela has historically supplied. Significant oil was being carried out of Cushing via tanker truck, thus increasing the potential for environmental problems.

I also think the pipeline will be built at some point but it will be a major campaign issue that Obama will suffer from.

FL