Replies to post #4629 on The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[oldberkeley]

absolutely correct. The environmental impact studies, rights-of-way, etc have been worked out over many years. Most of that work has always been done at the local and state level but the EPA was brought in to take on flack duties after the State Dept finally gave way.

Charlie- Just getting back to my computer after one-too-many beers at a raucous Ohio State NCAA basketball party last night.

Nah, not absolutely correct. Not a “political ploy”. The man’s doing the best he can, infinitely better than his predecessor who handed him this mess and IMO better than any of the leading Republican challengers could do. To repeat: the Republican Governor of Nebraska and numerous other qualified professionals also seem to disagree with you that everything has been previously worked out in a jim-dandy, why-the-delay, let’s-get-crackin’ manner.

No large industry can operate 100% accident free, and I apologize if it seemed I was suggesting that the O&G industry should. Whether or not the Exxon Valdez was better or worse than the Love Canal, or a bad accident in the Sandhills could never approach the horror of Bhopal (hell, it’s just a bunch of cranes) are impossible equations to calculate.

President Obama has always been willing to approve the project; everything he and his administration have said—the facts, with links—support this. It’s an incredibly complicated situation, but I’m confident that eventually he will fully support it and it will be built.

Perhaps OT: yours and Dews feelings seem more personal than evidence-based. I can imagine Dew’s reaction if on the BV board someone took the same tack about the characterization of a protein!

There’s a disturbingly large number of our population who when it comes to President Obama seem to be suffering from Negative Interpretation Bias: a form of mental illness where the person deliberately chooses a negative interpretation for an ambiguous event, when a positive interpretation is equally available, or even more likely.

I'd hate to think that you were in that group.

As always, with kind regards, Gary

[DewDiligence]

Shell takes 40% stake in Canadian LNG project:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303448404577407661418316198.html

LNG Canada would operate a two-train export terminal in Kitimat [BC], transporting 12 million tons a year initially. A final investment decision is slated for 2015, with exports to begin by 2019 and potentially rise to 24 million tons. Shell has a 40% stake. The three Asian companies [Misubishi, Korea Gas, and PetroChina] have 20% each.

As has been noted on this board, if the US doesn’t want the oil from Canada’s oilsands, someone else will.