The Keystone XL Pipeline Is Simple – Unless You Happen to Believe in Science!

So once again, Speaker Boehner throws science aside and proclaims that something very complex is NOT complex. I guess when you don’t believe in evolution or global climate change, you can just eliminate science and thus everything is simpler. But to those of us that are worried about the impact carbon emissions are having on this, our ONLY planet, it isn’t so simple.

My concerns ARE complex. Will this pipeline make it easier to market tar sands oil from Canada? If full scale, get every last drop out fast development is going to happen anyway, which I don’t think is a sure thing, then I think it probably is a reasonable idea to build it. I’m in no way pro oil. I’m pro conservation. I’m pro environment. And like over 95% of climate scientists, I know global climate change to be all too real.

So, yes, if we are reasonably sure that there is no slowing down the development of Canadian tar sand oil, then it is probably better than the alternative. Which would be to ship it via rail (which with all those moving trains, grade crossings, and opportunity for mechanical failure and human error seems way too risky) or build a pipeline to the pacific coast to export it to Asia.

But it isn’t simple. And it deserves an intensive review by as many “experts” as we can possibly have review it. Only then should we go forward. It isn’t like the oil is going away. And while the US is far more energy independent than anytime in recent history, our thirst for oil doesn’t seem to be quenched quite yet.

So let’s make sure we got this one right. Let’s not trust big oil or it’s bought and paid for Republican Party to tell us what to do. Let’s let scientists tell us what makes the most sense.

And in my mind, the science jury hasn’t come in yet!