Quote Originally Posted by Dave Severson View Post
Another thing on the jobs....Maybe (though doubtful) it is only 5,000 jobs, remember the area where the jobs are at, right through the heart of low population areas. Maybe 5,000 jobs in LA or New York is no big deal, but even 100 new jobs in South Dakota is big news!!!! Heck, the big cities out here wouldn't constitute a medium sized suburb in the high population areas!!!! Same thing in Nebraska, North Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, and Kansas---5,000 jobs out this way is a very big deal!!!!!

The way I'm starting to see this whole pipeline thing with the State Department and Obama is that the license and permits will be issued, probably about December, 2013 after the election is over and nobody has to worry about losing a few votes from a bunch of radical tree huggers!!!! IMO it's a damn shame when this and so many other issues just get postponed or dropped completely till after November, 2012!!! Getting the votes and winning a 2nd term should not be a priority over what is best for the majority of the country!!!!! This 'study' of the pipeline route has already been going on for 40 months and cost us who knows how many millions of dollars.... all another 11 months of delays does is cost us taxpayers more money... and the big thing, anything that could help end our dependence on Mid-Eastern oil should be a priority for our government and not just put off for some ludicrous "wait and see" on the elections....

I'm certainly no expert on legislative procedure, but there has got to be a way that Congress can force the State Department to take action and get the permits issued, isn't there???
Dave,
The problem is that this is a continuous pipeline, running from the northern tip of Alberta south to Texas. Canada cannot start their part without permit approval for the US segment, and that has been denied formally with no promises regarding what happens later. While everyone is saying, "Oh, it will be approved in late 2012 or early 2013.", the Canadians are proceeding to re-route their line to the west, and a new transfer port in the VanCouver area. There will be no economic reason for them to build a second pipeline, just to send oil south to Texas, as they will already have a willing customer, and a viable route to deliver to the Chinese tankers. This is a case of taking careful aim at one's big toe, and then wondering why your foot hurts. We're losing a huge opportunity to ease our reliance on middle east energy here, and no one seems to care other than a few good people at CHR.