There it was again, that word. You know what word I mean. The “F” word. Foreign.
In TV ads criticizing the Keystone XL pipeline San Francisco based activist Tom Steyer dismisses jobs operating “a foreign oil pipeline” and uses the “F” word to lead you to believe “foreign oil companies,” like bandits, will pilfer crude oil abroad instead refining it into gasoline and diesel for American motorists.
Americans are sophisticated people and understand when someone is trying to scare them.
Let’s point out Canada is hardly a unknown or distant place. In fact, the U.S. Commerce Department reports 11.5 million Americans visited Canada in 2012 and 22 million Canadians visited the United States.
Now back to Mr. Steyer. The United States imported 2.425 million barrels crude oil per day from Canada in 2012. Once operational that number will increase by 730,000 barrels a day and displace crude oil imports from Venezuela and the Middle East. Now, here is the kicker. 100,000 additional barrels will join the Keystone XL pipeline from not so foreign places like North Dakota and Montana and then be transported to refineries on the Gulf Coast.
Once refined, both foreign and domestic companies employing American workers, will distribute gasoline and diesel to motorists across the United States.
Nothing foreign about it.
– Michael Whatley
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Michael Whatley is a Executive Vice President for Consumer Energy Alliance where he follows the latest developments on the Keystone XL pipeline.
