Jobs Lost During the Recession Have Not Returned

[Keepitsimple]

Over time we learn and improve.

I get that there are billions of dollars at stake for a handful of people and a handful of jobs at stake for regular people.

We've also learned how to build better pipelines with all sorts of hardened structure and failsafe mechanisms to reduce the imicroscopic chance of a large oilspill even more. Keep in mind that there are thousands of miles and hundreds of pipelines criss-crossing Canada and the US - millions upon millions of barrels of oil being transported every day - and yet your "leaky pipelines" are seldom in the news - in spite of the eco-nuts watching like a hawk for any sign of failure.

Handful of people? How about the thousands and thousands of Canadians who own a piece of these companies through their RRSP retirement funds and count on dividends as a source of retirement income?

Handful of jobs? This is where the arrogance of Obama comes into play. He actually smirked and chuckled when he said Keystone would only generate 40 fulltime jobs. Arrogance or ignorance? He totally dismissed the thousands of construction jobs that would have kept workers busy for 2-3 years - in the middle of a recession! The construction industry - by its nature - creates temporary jobs.....and with a wave of his pompous hand, Obama dismissed the entire construction industry as irrelevant. And you seem to think the same.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Keepitsimple

[Smallc]

The Conservatives aren't the first government to put that idea forward.

[bush_cheney2004]

The Keystone XL kerfuffle has nothing to do with pipeline technology or jobs. It is a political football for domestic U.S. special interests in an election year. The Americans build other such pipelines for lunch.

[Mighty AC]

We've also learned how to build better pipelines with all sorts of hardened structure and failsafe mechanisms to reduce the imicroscopic chance of a large oilspill even more. Keep in mind that there are thousands of miles and hundreds of pipelines criss-crossing Canada and the US - millions upon millions of barrels of oil being transported every day - and yet your "leaky pipelines" are seldom in the news - in spite of the eco-nuts watching like a hawk for any sign of failure.

Leaky pipes were continuously in the news until the public grew tired of the stories.

Let's look at Keystone 1, built in 2008 for example. It is a modern pipeline designed to meet or exceed "world class safety standards." TransCanada stated that it would leak at a rate of 1.4 times per decade. This should still be considered a problem when the pipeline runs through the most important fresh water source in the central US. Anyway, on top of that "state of the art" design TransCanada agreed to 51 additional special conditions and safety procedures.

Sounds great, but the pipeline opened in 2010 and leaked 14 times in one year. The Feds were forced to issue a corrective action order making it the youngest pipeline in US history to receive such an intervention.

In 2010 TransCanada built the "state of the art" Bison pipeline which it claimed would "not even need repairs for 20 to 30 years." Within two months of opening a 60 foot section exploded.

In both cases, evidence of shoddy welding were found and in the case of Keystone 1 the company knowingly used sub-standard steel in parts. The investigations launched afterwards revealed that TransCanada repeatedly places budget and scheduling concerns ahead of quality. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/transcanadas_record_presents_a.html

[Mighty AC]

We've also learned how to build better pipelines with all sorts of hardened structure and failsafe mechanisms to reduce the imicroscopic chance of a large oilspill even more. Keep in mind that there are thousands of miles and hundreds of pipelines criss-crossing Canada and the US - millions upon millions of barrels of oil being transported every day - and yet your "leaky pipelines" are seldom in the news - in spite of the eco-nuts watching like a hawk for any sign of failure.

Look, there was another leak today. I suspect this one will get MSM coverage because it happened in LA.

10,000 gallons of oil spill on Los Angeles streets

I don't want this to be a Keystone thread, but you, Shady, PIK and other cons seem to think that job creation, or profits trump everything. I suspect if the pipeline does go ahead on Obama's watch and it eventually leaks into the Ogallala Aquifer, Shady will blame Obama for creating a midwestern drought. Harper, along with you and PIK will argue that there was never any reason to suspect a pipeline leak was even a possibility.

Are temporary construction jobs and then a handful of inspector jobs worth destroying the most important water source for a large chunk of the continent? Wouldn't building a much longer pipeline that avoids such critical water sources create even more jobs?

Edited May 15, 2014 by Mighty AC