WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today that it would be “insane” to construct the Keystone XL pipeline to ship the dirtiest oil on the planet from Canada’s tar sands region to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico.
“The scientific community is telling us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to address the crisis of climate change and to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Sanders said in prepared remarks. “This legislation would move us in exactly the wrong direction toward not only more dependence on fossil fuels but on some of the dirtiest fossil fuel imaginable. That is insane.”
The looming planetary crisis of global warming caused by emissions of greenhouse gasses already is causing drought, forest fires, floods, extreme weather disturbances and rising sea levels, according to a recent report by a United Nations scientific panel. “It is imperative, for the future well-being of this country, that we listen to the scientists,” Sanders said.
Sanders also disputed pipeline proponents who bill the project as a way to create jobs. In fact, he said, there would be fewer than 50 permanent jobs if the pipeline were to be completed. “To talk about 50 permanent jobs as a ‘jobs program’ is nothing more than a cruel and misleading hoax to workers in this country who want and need decent-paying jobs.”
The company pushing the pipeline, TransCanada, has claimed that anywhere from 9,000 to 20,000 actual construction workers would be employed in building the pipeline, but no credible studies support those claims. A Cornell University study said the project would create no more than 2,500 to 4,650 temporary, direct construction jobs over two years. The State Department’s estimate is even lower: fewer than 2,000 construction jobs over two years.
“In my view, we do need a major jobs program but this isn’t it,” Sanders said. He called on Congress instead to pass a meaningful infrastructure rebuilding program to address unemployment, which the Labor Department put at 11.5 percent for October. That figure counts those forced to settle for part-time jobs and those who gave up hunting for work.
“If we are serious about a jobs program, let us rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, our roads, bridges, water systems, rail, airports and older schools. Let us create jobs by transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency, weatherization and sustainable energy. That is a program that will create millions of decent jobs.”
Contact: Michael Briggs (202) 224-5141
Need for new economic system not predicated on employment
The issue with all future fossil fuel development isn’t really about jobs. The issue of jobs is far more complex than that.
As related to climate change as well as ongoing environmental issues, it is, as reported here, quite important. However, during the Nixon era, gas shortages in the early 70s, connective issues of oil dependency, and hostage to the Middle East also included environmental concerns back then. The pipeline syndrome is a modern extension of a broken record. The corporations didn’t listen then and aren’t listening now. Why should they? There are trillions of dollars yet to be made milking fossil fuels.
Calling for more jobs has always been a losing proposition. The number of college readied young people I’ve talked to who are working in pizza places, at cash registers, call centers and other menial labor is unbelievable.
To describe bolstering jobs to deal with a crumbling infrastructure is a bit of hyperbole. True, the infrastructures needs attention, updating, rebuilding etc, in some places, but intra and inter-state commerce has never been more involved.
The infrastructure as a whole is not crumbling, but calling for infrastructure jobs is akin to pipeline jobs, once completed, workers will need to look elsewhere.
The issues of full employment will never be achievable and that’s suggestive of the need for an new economic system that is not predicated on employment.
The Politician and the Jobs
Remember that short story, The Politician and the Jobs?
The Politician tells everyone there will be jobs, and they get excited and vote for him, but no jobs come. The politician gets lots of attention, though, and likes it, so…
The Politician tells everyone, again, that there will be jobs. They believe him, get excited about possibilities, vote again for him, but no jobs come. The politician gets lots of attention, but no one trusts him anymore.
The third time around, there really are jobs to be had. Real ones. Good ones. The Politician goes out and asks for support for the jobs bill one more time. He promises jobs. The people don’t believe him and pay him no attention.
…
Seriously, though, I agree that a new system is the way to go here. It is not working for the majority of people as is. Depending on the kindness of billionaires for society to move forward with improvements for all is foolish.
Getting public financing of elections, with no outside money, might be the only chance of reforming what we have now.