Gas Prices

I haven't really been paying much attention to gas prices or this administration's decision to stop buying petroleum products from Russia.  Today, however, in comments on another person's post, I saw so much evidence of confusion and some disinformation that I wanted to provide some support for the original poster's reasonable sentiments, and started writing from memory.  The main piece of disinformation I responded to was the idea that if President Biden had just allowed the Keystone pipeline to be built, we'd have all the petroleum products we needed, and the gas prices would not have risen as they have.  Here's what I wrote:

From what I can learn, much of the Keystone pipeline is finished and has been functional for some time. All of what flowed through the pipeline, however, was exported--because it was a type of gas (heavy) that could not be refined into gasoline (light).

Halting construction of the newest branch of the Keystone pipeline happened because of the risk of it springing leaks over the huge aquifer that supplies freshwater to a number of states in the middle of the country. If petroleum products ruined the aquifer, there would simply be no safe groundwater in this entire area. This Aquifer (the Ogallala) underlies the part of Kansas where I live, as well as parts of seven surrounding states. Twenty percent of the irrigated crops in the US draw on water from the Ogallala aquifer. The agriculture landscape would change a great deal if this water resource were no longer usable for irrigation.

Also, the company wanting to expand the Keystone pipeline is Canadian--not American. When construction of this pipeline was halted, what it amounted to is that the US simply did not extend their previous construction "permission" to cover the additional construction that would have placed groundwater supplies in danger.

Even if the new leg of the pipeline had been permitted, its contents would not have become available for domestic use for a very long time--if ever. People who demonize the current administration for causing gas prices to rise--in connection with de-permitting the Keystone pipeline--are apparently not well informed. I, for one, would rather pay $4.00/gallon for gasoline right now than $4.00/gallon in perpetuity--or perhaps much more--for safe water.

I'll leave it to others to report on whether or not there is a connection between the war in Russia-Ukraine and the rise in gasoline prices. I'll say only this: As long as the US is heavily dependent on imported petroleum, our normal ways of operating are subject to upheaval because of conflict elsewhere in the world.

Because our refinery capacity lags far behind our raw petroleum production capacity (and none of us really want to live in the vicinity of pollution-belching refineries anyway), we ought to consider actually weaning ourselves off this energy source instead of feverishly seeking out new supplies, which will only temporarily delay the day of reckoning for dealing with the effects of accumulated environmental toxins caused by burning fossil fuels.

My apologies, ________________ for taking up so much space on this thread. I guess brevity is not my strong suit.

After I wrote the above comment, I went back and read one of several information sources and saw that some of it should have been stated differently.  The main ideas are generally accurate, however, and I stand behind it for the most part.  Can you tell that I'm too tired to agonize over getting every jot and tittle right?

Just now I read an opinion piece in the Washington Post which contains many additional facts.  The title encapsulates what is very dispiriting about much of the recent public discourse around gas prices:  "Biden heeded Republicans' pleas to ban Russian Oil.  Then They Pounced."  Here are the details.

What's very clear here is that many people who are on a political stage are far more preoccupied with gaining or keeping an advantage over their political opponents than they are about acting with integrity or working for the benefit of the populace.  Everyone knows that it's unconscionable to beg for something, then discredit whoever gave you what you asked for.  That's part of what's happening when you hear the current administration being blamed by Republicans for high gas prices--because of banning Russian oil.  

Meanwhile, I'm not nearly as regretful about the lost oil as I am about what is happening elsewhere in society as anger is directed toward all things Russian.  Boycotting Russian restaurants, refusing to perform Russian music or withdrawing recordings of it from public access, and punishing Russian athletes are all far worse and far less reasonable than not buying Russian oil.  No Russian should have to apologize for who they are culturally or personally, just because at the moment their country is under the thumb of an autocratic and ruthless leader. Blaming and punishing the innocent among us like this is as unconscionable as the blame shifting that was mentioned earlier.  It's like carting Japanese strawberry farmers in California off to internment camps during WWII because of fears that they would somehow establish radio contact with Japanese forces (who were half a world away) and compromise American security.  It never happened, and upending the lives of so many innocent people because of irrational fears like this was not justified.    

I don't pretend to know whether banning Russian oil was wise or not.  Every escalation in the tense relations between Russia and the rest of the world is cause for concern.  I appreciate the arguably measured and cautious approach being taken by NATO countries and others in the region of Russia and Ukraine.  I certainly don't see this as weakness, but I regularly hear it presented that way.

Rules of engagement when the Upside Down Kingdom comes under attack call for open hands, extended in welcome and generosity, and sacrificial love--not fists punching the air in the direction of anyone who threatens our comfort, or weapons loaded and aimed toward anyone within range.  Remembering who I belong to and who I wish to honor really helps clarify what my attitudes and responsibilities are in times as fraught as these times are.