Dear Mr. President: Tear Down This Pipeline! [Letter Writing] #2

My Opinion on Keystone XL Pipeline

Letter submitted via White House “Contact Us” email, 1-15-2012

Dear Mr. President:

I’m sure you already know what you have to do on the pipeline. More and more of us realize this pipeline won’t create almost any permanent jobs (according to the independent Cornell U. study). It will just bypass us to use our ports to export Canadian oil to other countries. It’s “the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet”. “Red state” Nebraska told Canada “Not in our back yards”.

Cornell University Keystone XL jobs study - Table of Contents

Your base is watching this closely. And Congress, especially the Republicans, are much less popular than you are.

And now we see that John Boehner, who is trying to force your hand out of taking time to responsibly review and into making a poor and brash decision, has recently heavily invested himself (by middle class standards) in 7 companies that are involved in the pipeline.

EXCERPT: Environmentalists note that in December 2010, according to Boehner’s financial disclosure forms, he invested $10,000 to $50,000 each in seven firms that had a stake in Canada’s oil sands, the region that produces the oil the pipeline would transport. The firms include six oil companies — BP, Canadian Natural Resources, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Devon Energy and Exxon — along with Emerson Electric, which has a contract to provide the digital automation for the first phase of a $9.4 billion Horizon Oil Sands Project in Canada.

Bill McKibben, a climate activist and co-founder of the group 350.org, wrote in an e-mail that Boehner has received more than $1 million from fossil-fuel companies, “and now we find out that he’s got extensive personal investments in companies dependent on tarsands oil.”

“He was willing to shut down the government in part to prevent enough time for serious environmental review,” McKibben added. “In any other facet of our public life . . . this whole list taken together would be seen for the gross conflict of interest that it is.”

“As deadline nears, friends and foes of Keystone XL pipeline step up campaigns”

The Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: January 14
http://wapo.st/Agwbni

Please do your reelection campaign and the American People a favor, and kill this pipeline. It’s a sick joke, and another Big Oil multinational grift being perpetrated on the public. It cannot stand, and when the inevitable environmental atrocity occurs, you’ll be left holding the bag (Republicans will tar you with pipeline oil, and the media will conveniently forget that you weren’t exactly a Pipeline Chearleader.)

Thank you for your consideration,

Kris Bunda