The Keystone XL pipeline, currently awaiting a thumbs up or down on a presidential permit, has been the subject of ferocious debate.ย While proponents tout the pipeline project as a boon to national security, and a move that would reduce Americaโs dependence on โunethical oilโ, Its opponents are fearful of the environmental nightmare it would create (to say nothing of the immnent threat of future devastating spills like last yearโs Michigan Kalamazoo spill).ย The pipeline, if built, would increase siginificantly the import of dirty tar sands bitumen from Canadaโs oil sands to the U.S. by as much as 510,000 barrels a day.
Whatโs been left out of the fierce debate over the pipeline, according to SolveClimate News, is the prospect that if president Obama okayed the Keystone XL pipeline, he would be handing a major victory and great financial opportunity to Charles and David Koch, his staunchest political enemies and the most powerful opponents of his clean economy agenda.
SolveClimateโs analysis shows that Koch Industries is already responsible for close to 25 percent of the tar sands crude that is imported into the United States, and is well-positioned to cash in big from increased Canadian tar sandsย imports.
Proponents argue that Keystone is the โAmericanโ thing to do: it puts national security interests at the fore, and moves the United States away from reliance on foreign oil.ย As it turns out, the project is nothing more than a vote for corporate muscle and power.ย It hands two of the worst polluters in the country, both hell-bent on derailing a clean energy future, an all-access pass to grow their personal business fortune at the expense of the environment, the country and theย planet.
Head on over to Solve Climate News to read their fullย coverage.
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