The Bakken pipeline is being delayed by government red tape and a 21st Century Indian uprising. The issue is beyond ludicrous. No pipeline in America is built without a phalanx of archaeologists combing every square inch of the right of way. In fact, it is required by law. Along with botanists, environmentalists, and biologists, the archaeologist is hired to search for artifacts, endangered species, and anything else which might give pause to someone pursuing an enterprise. In fact, archaeologists today count on the oil industry as the training grounds and major employer of college graduates. There are probably as many employed in the site assessment business as in the state offices and Universities in the plains and Rocky Mountain states.
Be it a drilling pad, or a pipeline, this rodeo plays out on every project. And, in the permitting process it also widely advertised for anyone with concerns to comment, to address so-called “sacred” sites, environmental issues, and in the case above, there was nary a peep when this process started two years ago. Suddenly it is not only news but shows the utter ineffectiveness of the Obama Administration.
Obama simply has an absolute hatred of the oil industry, mineral owners, and anything associated with coal, oil, or gas production. And it that insane hatred grows a mindset being infused into the general public that oil is not only bad for the environment, it is not even needed.
Environmentalists are happy to protest, and seek the Indian’s help in delaying and delaying any and ALL projects. That is without regard to the Indian viewpoint of energy production. The Indians for their part feel like the government isn’t listening to them and this is as much about the handling of the applications as it is about any environmental concern the tribe might have. After all one tribe recently built a small refinery in the Bakken and profit from the oil business.
Yet how many protesters drove electric cars to the site of the protest? How many walked? Rode a bicycle? See the picture below. Hypocrites, one and all. We are driving the cost of everything up by pandering to the anti-oil movement. And it is horrible how little science so-called reporters know. Fox News argued that the recent 5.8 earthquake near Pawnee, Oklahoma related to the New Madrid Earthquake zone…If you don’t understand how stupid that comment is, then you know nothing about geology either. Have they quit teaching earth science in middle school? Hint, the New Madrid (aka Reelfoot Rift) is about 400 miles away.
Cars will be still need a liquid fuel 50 years from now. Lithium is not the answer and we are crazy to think it a long term solution to electrical storage. Think Samsung 7 batteries. And this nation, and the world seeks more and more energy and we will need every source of it possible to keep up with the technological future.
Environmentalists protest oil while driving gas guzzling pickups and SUVs