For those dreamers who think that Obama's statement today means he will not approve the XL pipeline: prepare to be bitterly disappointed. He's going to approve it. He as much as said so.
The pre-speech press release indicated he was not going to touch on the subject of XL. Rather bizarre, right? His big climate speech, in which he wants to show that he is taking action on climate, and he isn't going to even touch on XL. What does that tell you?
What it tells me, below the jump. You may want a stiff drink.
But, you say, he DID touch on XL
".... if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution,”….
Well, since it was only carried on the Weather channel, he seems to have gotten the message that no one was paying any attention to him; because he wasn't going to do anything newsworthy. So, it seems, he decided he had to put out something sexy. Something XL. But do you really think Obama, on the day of his speech, made the decision to reject the pipeline? No, he didn't. But he knew that it was ridiculous to talk about ameliorating climate change without rejecting XL.
So at the last minute, he put in something that made it seem to progressives and scientists that he was going to reject it. Because these folks are totally committed to the idea that the tar sands are "game over" for halting climate change. They heard "exacerbate", when what he actually said was "...if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem."
What's the difference, you ask?
It's very simple. "This project" is the just the pipeline. The pipeline is not the extraction of the bitumen. If you assume that the tar sands are going to be extracted one way or another, then the XL pipeline is the most efficient way to do it. Toss in a few carbon credits purchased by the pipeline company, and there you have it.
And notice that he said nothing about permanent jobs or about the dangers to our lands and water supply.
Obama is going to approve the pipeline, but the for the life of me I don't know why. I just don't understand it. I really don't. But the writing on the wall is quite clear. This will be his legacy, along with his drones used around the world, and his national security state. I have to say, if and when he does approve the pipeline, it will destroy not only his legacy, but possibly also whatever unity the Democratic Party can muster to counteract the evolving fascist state we find ourselves confronting.
Tell me I'm wrong. Convince me. Please.