A KEYSTONE XL POST-MORTEM

摘要

At least now we have a settlement to the seven-year Keystone XL pipeline debate. The question was whether the U.S. government would allow Trans-Canada to build a pipeline from Alberta th rough the center of the U n ited States to con nect with existing pipelines that end at refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. The answer-after seven years of maybes -was no. Keystone's opponents argued that the pipeline would contribute to environmental degradation, while its supporters trumpeted its potential economic benefits and job growth. In truth, however, the Keystone debate represented the worst in American political ideological entrenchment. Neither the environmentalists nor the economic minded advocates had the facts on their side.