By Institute for Energy Research ——Bio and Archives--February 11, 2012
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As it turns out, the environmental movement doesn't just want to shut down Keystone. Its real goal, as I discovered when I spoke recently to Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club, is much bigger. "The effort to stop Keystone is part of a broader effort to stop the expansion of the tar sands," Brune said. "It is based on choking off the ability to find markets for tar sands oil."Nocera calls out such a mentality as destructive and futile.
This is a ludicrous goal. If it were to succeed, it would be deeply damaging to the national interest of both Canada and the United States. But it has no chance of succeeding. Energy is the single most important industry in Canada. Three-quarters of the Canadian public agree with the Harper government's diversification strategy. China's "thirst" for oil is hardly going to be deterred by the Sierra Club. And the Harper government views the continued development of the tar sands as a national strategic priority.It is a sign of desperation that Keystone XL has become a cause célèbre for the critics of modern industrial society and requisite dense energy (oil, gas, and coal). One could only wish that the same effort was being directed against a much bigger problem: industrial wind turbines that both leave taxpayers poorer and pristine environs compromised.
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