A Wish List For 2017 : Can Pigs Really Fly?
By Scott Jeffrey
I’m going to be like that kid on TV who asks for a taco chip. He is told by his mean-spirited Dad “when pigs fly,” only to make it happen, thus receiving his reward. Like the kid, I’m going to aim high with a wish list that is more realistic than flying pigs, but seems just as improbable.
In no particular order of importance, I would like these things to happen.
Oil Prices to Increase, and then Stabilize
There was much press recently about an agreement by OPEC, in conjunction with non-OPEC producers, to cut production by a combined 1.2 million barrels/day (mmbd). This had the immediate effect of bumping up the price of oil, but in no way did it establish a floor.
The trouble lies with the countries not part of the agreement. Nine of the top 20 producers in the world have not signed on, and are thus free to produce more barrels if the cost can be justified. How can simply re-arranging the numbers between producer states lead to a sustainable rise in oil prices?
Three Pipelines to be Built
We have seen two pipelines approved in recent weeks in Canada. TransMountain to the Westcoast and the expansion of Line 3 to the U.S. are a go, subject to a zillion conditions.
Northern Gateway was killed. And there has been deafening silence on the Energy East Pipeline through Quebec to New Brunswick.
Of course, we all know that simply approving a pipeline doesn’t guarantee it will be built in a timely fashion. It is merely one more hurdle that has been surmounted — at great cost of time and money. Energy East makes at least as much sense as the two winning approval, but Denis Coderre and other Quebec mayors have decided they want some dough, and once again we are held up by a small band of small thinkers.
Common Sense to Prevail
If you were to try and count the number of consumer goods that are based on petroleum products, you would go beyond 6,000 items. Most of these are indispensable to our modern lifestyle. More than half of a barrel of oil –-54% — is used in the manufacture of these items, while the rest of the barrel goes toward what we would call conventional fuel use.
Common sense would tell most of us that enjoying our current standard of living is intimately tied to oil, not just in domestic use but in what it gives us in hard revenue when exported. Unfortunately, those calling for an oil-free present ignore the glaring reality of the situation.
Most of the people involved in the world of so-called “big oil” are not monsters, and they want to leave their kids the best legacy possible. That means balance, and that means responsible use and disposition of the resources at our command.
The Loonies on Both Fronts to Go Quiet
Someone once said that if you allow two parties with widely divergent views on a subject to continue their respective rants, they would eventually meet on the other side. Whether you are a member of the anti-oil Sierra Club or the pro-oil Heartland Institute, the rhetoric is so heated and so one-sided as to be hateful to any thinking person. This is a no holds barred bare-knuckle contest for both parties, and no amount of ground is ceded on either side.
There is no reason, only rhetoric, and the voice of moderation is not welcome. You can’t be against a pipeline for certain environmental or safety reasons, you have to be AGAINST any pipeline. On the pro-side, any opposition to a proposed development is seen as destructive and communistic (remember that tag?). To make a point for the middle way, you have to drown both sides out, which brings me to my last wish.
The Unheard Majority to Speak Up
Even our fence-sitting Prime Minister said it best when he stated that no sane nation on earth would leave the tremendous riches we possess to sit in the earth. That would be an irresponsible, even criminal act directed at the people of such a nation.
Poll after poll conducted confirms that a majority of our populace support the initiatives of the industry to get product to market, and yet the attention is always focused on the rabid right or the loopy left. It is important that the moderate middle arm itself with a few facts, and refute the wildly exaggerated claims of both camps.
It is time to state that development of our resources should proceed, but not at any cost. It is time to acknowledge that we will be using petroleum and petroleum-based products for a very long time, and that it can be both safe and environmentally responsible.
Let’s hope that in 2017 we can all move a little bit closer to the middle. If we want to enjoy a certain amount of peace and prosperity, we need to acknowledge that petroleum helps us achieve that. And quite apart from global warming, it is paramount that we protect our environment from the effects of unsafe installations, spills, and the blatant waste of our resources. No green would care much about global warming if they were forced to burn the trees in their yard for fuel, and no pro-oil guy would like their kids to go out and play in an oil puddle next to a flare stack. It’s all about common sense, that most uncommon of properties.
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