Coincdence underscores the appalling short-sightedness of US President Barack Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline border crossing on Nov. 6.
The president's genuflection to environmental extremism occurred on the same day Shell Canada and partners started up the Quest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Alberta.
The Quest project will sequester in the deep subsurface 1 million tonnes/year of carbon dioxide from the Scotford upgrader near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. The Athabasca Oil Sands Project, which Shell leads, built the plant with government financial help and is publishing information about its design and processes.
The project thus advances CCS technology, which can help reduce CO2 emissions from industrial facilities worldwide.
Yet rejection of the Keystone XL northern segment shows Obama cares little about that. Extremists cheering his decision wish there were no production at all from Alberta's oil sands, which they claim contribute egregiously to climate change. Obama yearns to appease them.
If this were not so he could not, with a straight face, have said, "The pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy. So, if Congress is serious about wanting to create jobs, this was not the way to do it."
What? How can connection of 166 billion bbl of bitumen with refineries that most value the material NOT make a "meaningful long-term contribution to our economy?" How can construction and operation of an $8 billion logistical system NOT create jobs?
Does Obama think Americans and Canadians believe this nonsense?
Apparently, he doesn't care. Apparently, he cares only about accolades from name-calling activists explicit about their wishes to foreclose use of fossil energy.
Those folks want nonhydrocarbon energy now. They have no patience for the development of sophisticated ways to cut CO2 emissions associated with what they call "dirty oil" and no doubt wish the Quest project would just go away.
To the detriment of Americans and Canadians with better sense, they have an ally in Washington, DC, who's eager to please.
(From the subscription area of www.ogj.com, posted on Nov. 6, 2015; author's e-mail: [email protected])
