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Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

The Keystone Millions: Who Benefits?

Author:     ALEXANDER BURNS and ANDREW RESTUCCIA
Source:     Politico
Publication Date:     5/12/14 10:25 AM EDT
 Link: The Keystone Millions: Who Benefits?
Stephan:   I think this is a pretty good assessment of the central question in its headline: Who benefits? Who do you think? In my view all efforts should now be turned to the transition out of the carbon era. It will take time, and yes, natural gas will play a role for a while. But the entire energy emphasis should be on non-carbon energy. Fracking, Arctic drilling and the rest should cease. Will it happen? I doubt it very much. We are going to have to suffer very severely before the oligarchs are over-turned.

Keystone XL isn’t pumping oil yet – and may never be – but in the Washington, D.C., political industry it’s already a gusher.

The TransCanada pipeline has been stuck in limbo for over half a decade now; last month, President Barack Obama again postponed a decision on the project, likely until after the 2014 elections.

Yet in just a few years, the political debate over Keystone has exploded into an entire sector of the Washington influence economy. Funded by multibillion-dollar oil companies, labor unions and ultrarich environmentalists, the fight has filtered into every crack and crevice of the nation’s capital – all for a project some advocates on both sides privately concede wouldn’t be an environmental or economic game-changer.

From advertisements blanketing Metro stops near Capitol Hill and the State Department to TV commercials saturating the Sunday morning talk shows, to print and digital promos in this publication and others, Keystone has been virtually omnipresent. Well over 100 lobbyists have registered to lobby the issue. Top consultants from Obama’s campaigns have signed up on both sides. The pro-pipeline American Petroleum Institute holds regular war councils to plot strategy and has shelled out millions promoting the project; just this week, API spent more than […]

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