and America takes another one in the........
Posted on 04/02/2012 7:08:44 PM PDT by Clive
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Even if President Barack Obama approved the controversial Keystone XL pipeline tomorrow, at least some Canadian oil would still flow to Asia, according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
In a public one-on-one interview here with Jane Harman, head of the Wilson Centre think-tank, Harper said Obama's rejection of the controversial pipeline -- even temporarily -- stressed Canada's need to find other buyers for oilsands crude.
And that wouldn't change even if the president's mind did.
"Look, the very fact that a 'no' could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets," Harper told Harman in front of a live audience of businesspeople, scholars, diplomats, and journalists.
"We cannot be, as a country, in a situation where our one and, in many cases, only energy partner could say no to our energy products. We just cannot be in that position."
His wide-ranging question-and-answer at the influential non-partisan think-tank -- which also touched on border security, trade, the Arctic and Syria among other topics -- followed a meeting with Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House for the sixth North American Leaders' Summit.
Harper also told Harman that Canada has been selling its oil to the United States at a discounted price.
So not only will America be able to buy less Canadian oil even if Keystone is eventually approved, the U.S. will also have to pay more for it because the market for oilsands crude will be more competitive.
"We have taken a significant price hit by virtue of the fact that we are a captive supplier and that just does not make sense in terms of the broader interests of the Canadian economy," Harper said. "We're still going to be a major supplier of the United States. It will be a long time, if ever, before the United States isn't our number one export market, but for us the United States cannot be our only export market.
"That is not in our interest, either commercially or in terms of pricing."
Earlier this year, Obama rejected TransCanada's bid to build the $7 billion pipeline that would carry crude from Alberta to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama blamed Republicans in Congress for imposing an arbitrary timeline on him to decide on the project, which he said did not allow enough time for sufficient reviews even though Keystone had been under review for three years already.
Supporters of the project, which include big labour unions and the business community, estimate construction jobs alone to build the pipeline would be in the thousands at a time when the U.S. economy is struggling to recover from the recession.
Polls show some 60% of Americans also support building the pipeline.
But opponents argue developing Canada's oilsands cause high greenhouse gas emissions and worry the pipeline could leak in sensitive environmental areas along the route.
Last month, Obama tried to take credit for expediting the southern leg of the pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas that is going ahead, but the White House has no jurisdiction over the pipeline except where it crosses an international border.
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Obama does not care about jobs, the pipeline, or energy. All he wants to do is destroy our capitalism and free markets and hurt as many REAL Americans as he can.
He is evil and he is an enemy.
"Look, the very fact that a 'no' could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets,"IMO, the same concept applies to British Columbia softwood lumber and Alberta beef.
If the amount that Canada has available to export exceeds what we’re willing/able to take then that’s fine.But it *would* benefit both the US *and* Canada if they sent us as much as we can take.Of course if getting the oil to China is easier and/or cheaper than getting it to us (as in Keystone) then we have a much different situation.One cannot blame Canada if she were unwilling to wait forever for approval of Keystone.
Thanks BHO for f-—ing us over, yet again. Now BHO has managed to piss off the Canadians, and they obviously will respond by sending their oil to the highest bidder. Could this guy possibly f-— up relations with our neighbors any worse than he has to date?
Canada joins the chorus:
FUBO
and America takes another one in the........
Buy some Post-It Notes.. Write “OBAMA MUST GO!” on them and stick them on the gas pump when you fill up!
That’s actually a very good idea.
This is no big deal. Oil is fungible, so this is not that big a deal. This is also why buyer’s boycotts are silly and of no effect. What counts is that the oil gets produced and sold on a market.
The Arabs learned this lesson in the 1970’s when they stopped selling oil to the US, only to find the US importing more oil when the boycott had collapsed than when it was imposed. The oil that the US didn’t buy was bought by the Japanese. The non-OPEC oil that the Japanese didn’t buy was shipped to the US instead. A few cents a gallon premium was all it took to lubricate the exchange.
What is not being said here is that the market price of any oil that Canada ships to China will naturally be a few cents a gallon lower to compensate the buyer for the higher shipping costs. In time, when the US finally approves more pipeline capacity across the Canadian border, that premium will buy a preference to ship to the US.
Of course, this hurts us, but Obama isn't an American, hyphenated or otherwise.
Small wonder the Canadian Dollar (used to be $.70 US) is now worth slightly more than the US Dollar.
Until that putz in the White House is out, the whole country will suffer. He apologizes to our enemiess and craps on our friends.
We have elected a man who truly hates everything about the country he “leads.” His basic view is that “his people” have been screwed and he’s going to set it right. Doesn’t matter that itisn’t true!
OMG, that is a great idea! Stick them in bookstores, outside McDonalds drive-thru window, gas pumps, ... the possibilities are endless. I will do it !!!
Memo to Obama: Thanks, a**hole.
Well done President DumbA$$! Your Anti-American Grennie/Marxist ideology has won again. No wonder Oprah wants to keep her distance. I wish We the People could keep ours from your terribly destructive policies. I don’t blame Canada one bit. President DumbA$$ redefined crappy ally.
bfl
I can't blame the Canadians for deciding to sell their oil to the Chinese. The oil in their ground is their bounty and they have the right to sell it to whomever will buy it. I respect Harper for his decision on this and recognize that it is being done in the best interest of the Canadian people. I only wish our government made decisions that were in the best interest of the American people.
I can't help but to wonder how the Canadian people feel about having an emerging Marxist nation on their southern border.
I, like most Canadians grew up and still live along the border. This proximity allows us to be far more aware of what is happening in America than vica-versa. My grandparents came to Alberta from the U.S. and all my grandkids are American and I live in the U.S. 3-4 months of the year. The mere fact that this fraud was able, with a complicit media, to pull the wool over the eyes of main street America and manipulate your political system as he has, is scary. For the first time in my 71 years I fear for America’s future if this liar is re-elected. This realization makes me very sad because I, like most canadians, love, respect and support what America is and what she has stood for during our lifetimes.
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