The temporary Keystone construction jobs may be on hold, but several pipeline companies are vying for permits to run 42″ natural gas lines from the Marcellus Shale fields of Appalachia, through the hills and hollers and over the mountains into Virginia and North Carolina. Ostensibly needed to fuel power plants converting from coal to gas, there will also be a line directly to the coast, near Newport News. Remember the Prez promising we will supply Euroland with gas so they won’t have to depend on Russia?
Unlike the mess of a tar sands spill, failure of the largest ever gas lines will produce explosions on the scale of tactical nukes.
rhs jr
November 10, 2015 10:07 am
I hope he is wrong about the explosions being like tactical nukes because since BHO “banned” coal and switched those plants to gas, these pipelines are everywhere and would be easy for his associates (Muslims and Commies) to blow up. Then how long would it take to switch back to cheap coal (a week, a year)?
Persnickety
November 10, 2015 10:43 am
“Then how long would it take to switch back to cheap coal (a week, a year)?”
Possibly forever, aka never. Once you stop mining coal in a given mine you are likely to allow the infrastructure to degrade, or you may just remove it altogether for salvage value. Most of those mines would not be economic to re-open from scratch or even from a significant maintenance burden. So some % of coal will stay shut in forever once mining is stopped.
Likewise, if you take a coal-steam plant offline for any length of time, you would be expected similarly to do the same things, and it may not be economical to restart the plant a year or three from now. Of course you could build a brand new plant with modern technology – not an altogether bad idea, but not getting much support today, and likely to have trouble getting financing in the future.
Persnickety
November 10, 2015 10:44 am
As far as the oil pipelines go – I believe that much of the issue is Warren Buffet’s profits from BNSF running oil tanker cars. Oil pipelines are somewhat dangerous, but the railroad oil cars regularly derail and explode. It’s about protecting vested interests.
Westcoaster
November 10, 2015 8:19 pm
I’m happy Keystone is D.O.A. I couldn’t see the benefit of letting Canada transit our country to export the refined product out of the Gulf. And the only significant jobs were in its construction. Let’s rebuild our roads and bridges instead.
Sensetti
November 10, 2015 8:32 pm
Westcoaster says: I’m happy Keystone is D.O.A. I couldn’t see the benefit of letting Canada transit our country to export the refined product out of the Gulf. And the only significant jobs were in its construction. Let’s rebuild our roads and bridges instead
Once again Westcaoster has no fucking idea what he’s talking about, typical Democrat! The oil is coming into to our country on Warren Buffet’s rail lines. It’s not about if the oil gets refined in the U.S. Or not. It’s just an argument on how we are going to get it here? Obamas buddy Warren Buffet paid his ass off and the oil will continue to come in by rail, which has a much larger carbon footprint.
The temporary Keystone construction jobs may be on hold, but several pipeline companies are vying for permits to run 42″ natural gas lines from the Marcellus Shale fields of Appalachia, through the hills and hollers and over the mountains into Virginia and North Carolina. Ostensibly needed to fuel power plants converting from coal to gas, there will also be a line directly to the coast, near Newport News. Remember the Prez promising we will supply Euroland with gas so they won’t have to depend on Russia?
Unlike the mess of a tar sands spill, failure of the largest ever gas lines will produce explosions on the scale of tactical nukes.
I hope he is wrong about the explosions being like tactical nukes because since BHO “banned” coal and switched those plants to gas, these pipelines are everywhere and would be easy for his associates (Muslims and Commies) to blow up. Then how long would it take to switch back to cheap coal (a week, a year)?
“Then how long would it take to switch back to cheap coal (a week, a year)?”
Possibly forever, aka never. Once you stop mining coal in a given mine you are likely to allow the infrastructure to degrade, or you may just remove it altogether for salvage value. Most of those mines would not be economic to re-open from scratch or even from a significant maintenance burden. So some % of coal will stay shut in forever once mining is stopped.
Likewise, if you take a coal-steam plant offline for any length of time, you would be expected similarly to do the same things, and it may not be economical to restart the plant a year or three from now. Of course you could build a brand new plant with modern technology – not an altogether bad idea, but not getting much support today, and likely to have trouble getting financing in the future.
As far as the oil pipelines go – I believe that much of the issue is Warren Buffet’s profits from BNSF running oil tanker cars. Oil pipelines are somewhat dangerous, but the railroad oil cars regularly derail and explode. It’s about protecting vested interests.
I’m happy Keystone is D.O.A. I couldn’t see the benefit of letting Canada transit our country to export the refined product out of the Gulf. And the only significant jobs were in its construction. Let’s rebuild our roads and bridges instead.
Westcoaster says: I’m happy Keystone is D.O.A. I couldn’t see the benefit of letting Canada transit our country to export the refined product out of the Gulf. And the only significant jobs were in its construction. Let’s rebuild our roads and bridges instead
Once again Westcaoster has no fucking idea what he’s talking about, typical Democrat! The oil is coming into to our country on Warren Buffet’s rail lines. It’s not about if the oil gets refined in the U.S. Or not. It’s just an argument on how we are going to get it here? Obamas buddy Warren Buffet paid his ass off and the oil will continue to come in by rail, which has a much larger carbon footprint.