HEY HEY! HO HO! THE CARBON TAXES HAVE GOT TO GO!

Published: Oilfield Pulse
By: Kevin Turko - CEO - Oilfield Hub Inc

   
       It's almost impossible these days to watch an cable news network or national news broadcast without encountering some sort of story covering a protest rally or group shouting out or marching for their favorite or latest causes. Up until November of last year, there was a constant barrage of environmental groups and eco-activists out there at every opportunity chastising the oil and gas industry, chanting their vocal support to fix climate change and rid the planet of the new demon called 'carbon pollution'. Then, thank God, along came President Donald Trump who, right or wrong, has shifted both the medias and protestors' focus away from the energy sector. Here are just a few of my personal favorite chants:

THE PEOPLE! UNITED! WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED! NO BAN! NO WALL! THE TRUMP REGIME HAS TO FALL! SAY IT LOUD! SAY IT CLEAR!REFUGEES ARE WELCOME HERE!WE WANT A LEADER! NOT A CREEPY TWEETER! HANDS TO SMALL! CAN'T BUILD A WALL! YOU'RE ORANGE! YOU'RE GROSS! YOU LOST THE POPULAR VOTE! HEY HEY! HO HO! THIS PRESIDENT HAS GOT TO GO!

      Whether you love the man and support his policies, or detest the man and despise his policies, President Trump has single handily polarized the political landscape well beyond the borders of the United States. By the way, it's a lot more fun when you read these chants out loud in a raised and rhythmic voice! Give them a try again; but to truly get into the agitated protesting spirit you should also read each of the chants 3 times in a row. Again, all thanks unwittingly or purposely to The Donald.
       In the last eight months or so, this has remarkably taken the pressure off the oil and gas industry. The boogeyman of climate change, Mr. Carbon Pollution, has taken a second seat to a whole host of other social justice causes on both sides of the border and opposite sides of the political landscape. Not to be out-done, I thought a little reminiscing was in order so we don't lose sight of the past and ongoing fine protesting efforts of our foreign funded environmental activist groups. Again, here goes with some of my personal global warming favorites.

NO MORE COAL! NO MORE OIL! KEEP YOU CARBON IN THE SOIL! NO PIPELINES! NO TAR SANDS! NO DESTRUCTION OF OUR LANDS! KINDER MORGAN! ENERGY EAST! NOT IN THE WEST, NOT IN THE EAST! GIVE US CLIMATE TARGETS! NOT DIRTY TAR SANDS MARKETS! HEY HEY! HO HO! CANADIAN PIPELINES HAVE GOT TO FLOW!

      Ok, ok , ok, if you are paying attention I made the last one up! From where I am leaning, all these folks just don't have to be so damn negative. Why can't we start some cool chants of our own to help modify, in a much more positive manner, the climate change and carbon pollution narrative! Give it a try! I rather like the HEY HEY! HO HO! chants. Snappy little jungles and pretty easy to make up by yours truly and by the countless number of seemingly paid and well funded eco-activists. Several of which are thinly veiled or cloaked as so called charitable organizations, at least for the time being in Canada as long the Trudeau Liberals are in power. But hey hey, ho ho, that's a whole other article! Sorry, couldn't resist.
    These climate change and carbon pricing debates are such divisive issues right now, but what I find fascinating are the unfortunate parallels to the political climate we are being subjected to. If you watch channels like the CBC or CNN you get bombarded with countless hours of 'the world is ending' reporting, and if you watch Fox News you're being swayed for an equal number of hours that its all 'fake news' and that nothing wrong is happening. All in search of higher ratings and increased revenues. Most people just don't have time nor inclination in their daily lives to search out the truth which undoubtedly lies somewhere closer to the middle of our daily news spectrum.
     There's so much time, effort and dollars being spent on indoctrinating everyone on what's wrong and precious little time, effort, and dollars are being devoted to educating the public on what we, our business leaders and politicians, can do to make it right. Let's use pipelines as an example. If we are all so concerned about carbon pollution on a global scale, why no get these pipelines built now! As a first step, doesn't it make more sense to get countries like China, India and other high emitting countries off their dependence on coal and onto clean burning natural gas. Wouldn't this be a massive positive step toward lowering GHG emissions now, versus by 2030?
      The life blood of the oil and gas industry in Canada is access to foreign investors. These investment dollars won't return to Canada until significant and meaningful progress is made on getting our oil and gas to tidewater. On the home front, we seem to care little about making Canada truly energy independent with our own natural resources. Instead we are blocking pipeline construction with petty local and domestic issues. I say petty, because our industry detractors have lost sight of the greater good. Let's get our clean burning natural gas to China, and many other countries, so we no longer have to watch news reports of Chinese people with face masks walking thought their cities under a smoggy and hazy skyline.
      Instead we slap our citizens and businesses with meaningless carbon taxes which don't in any way change consumer behaviours. We distract our people into thinking this is the answer to tackle climate change. We allow civic politicians in cities like Vancouver to ban clean burning natural gas furnaces. These same politicians and local protestors are hurting our Canadian economy, and unwittingly, or stupidly, denying access to LNG to the worst polluting countries of the world. This is small-ball crap and just plainly hypocritical!
    So the next time you see a protestor in your neck of the woods, think of our less fortunate global neighbors and throw back a chant of your own. You're always welcome to use mine as well.

   HEY HEY! HO HO! CANADIAN PIPELINES HAVE GOT TO FLOW!

   

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