Saturday, May 28, 2016

Donald Trump: I Will Green Light Keystone Pipeline

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Donald Trump burst on the political scene at the beginning of the 2016 Presidential Election Season by being very loud about two issues that are very important to American Voters: Immigration and Islamic Jihad.  Now that he has won the GOP nomination (or at least we believe he has - we'll see what happens at the convention), he has chosen another issue that is very popular with voters. . . and this one is designed to show a sharp contrast between himself with the Democrats - The Keystone Pipeline.

Removing Governmental Barriers

While I agree with Mr. Trump that the Keystone Pipeline should be given the Green Light, the way to create prosperity is not through the federal government making decisions, but by the federal government getting out of the way of the free market.  Besides, from a Constitutional standpoint, aside from where the pipeline crosses the national border with Canada, the Keystone Pipeline should be a decision made by each of the States along its proposed line.  In other words, the constitutional way to Green Light the Keystone Pipeline would be for President Trump (if he were to win the White House) to say: "The federal government has removed itself from the Keystone Pipeline debate.  It is completely up to the States involved.  I recommend the States fully support the pipeline, and the federal government will be glad to help if the States request assistance."  I am not sure any politician, including Donald Trump, fully understands what the federal government's limited role is truly supposed to be.

Taking on Environmental Policies

Donald Trump also has promised that he plans to roll back some of America's most ambitious environmental policies, actions that he said would revive the ailing U.S. oil and coal industries and bolster national security.  In addition to the Keystone Pipeline, he also would like to tackle the U.N. global climate accord by pulling the United States out of the agreement, and rescind environmental measures put in place by President Barack Obama designed to inject the federal government into the battle over emissions and industrial pollution.

"Any regulation that's outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers or contrary to the national interest will be scrapped and scrapped completely," Trump told about 7,700 people at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck, the capital of oil-rich North Dakota. "We're going to do all this while taking proper regard for rational environmental concerns."

Once again, it should not be about outdated regulations as much as it should be about authority.  Does the federal government have the constitutional authority to be involved inside the States regarding these issues?  Absolutely not.  So, my advice to the Trump camp is for them to push the concept of State Sovereignty.  All federal regulations regarding environmental issues within the States (except for those directly related to U.S. Government properties - though, I have to admit, many of those federally owned lands were ill-gotten in an unconstitutional manner) are unconstitutional, and should be rescinded.

Stark Contrast

Having secured the Republican nomination, for the most part, Donald Trump is trying to create a stark contrast between him and his Democrat Party opponents, be it Hillary Clinton, or Bernie Sanders.  The Democrat Party candidates advocate federal influence and control on environmental issues, and using mandates enacted by the central government to outlaw fossil fuels, and force into place renewable energy technologies.  The excuse?  We have to do it to combat the make-believe battle against man-made climate change.

Trump states that the policies of the Democrats have, and will continue to, kill jobs and force the United States "to be begging for oil again" from Middle East producers.

"It's not going to happen. Not with me," he said.

Environmentalists called Trump's comments "frightening."

Energy industry giants, however, were happy to hear Trump go to bat for them.

"It’s simple. If Trump wins, oil field workers will be happy. If Clinton wins, oil workers will be unhappy," said Derrick Alexander, an operations manager at oilfield services firm Integrated Productions Services.

Imagine a World. . .

Domestic oil drilling is being encouraged by Mr. Trump, and he is saying his team in the White House will be an administration willing to cut federal regulations regarding the energy industry, and will be willing to handle the "oil cartels" with a tough hand.  Trump says the United States can achieve energy independence and reduce America's reliance on Middle Eastern producers. "Imagine a world in which oil cartels will no longer use energy as a weapon," he said.

America has more oil than Saudi Arabia, but much of it would require us to use fracking to access it - a method of extraction that is considered controversial by the Democrats.  Trump says the man-made global warming scam is a hoax, that his administration would revive hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and that he plans to do what he can to revive the U.S. coal industry.

"I want it built, but I want a piece of the profits," Trump said. "That's how we're going to make our country rich again."

After Trump opened his mouth about energy and the Keystone Pipeline, the market immediately responded, sending TransCanada's shares 29 Canadian cents higher to C$54.13 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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