Hurry, the pipeline’s in trouble

The Duluth News Tribune is slapping down late hour protests against Enbridge Energy’s proposed pipeline from Canada to Superior, Wis. The theme: Where were these protesters when there were public hearings?

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, I don’t have a dog in this fight. People want a pipeline? Fine. Oil. Tar sands. I care, but not enough to read up on this stuff yet. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Whatever. I’ve already had this conversation, like, eight times.

But here’s my question. What is it about being on a newspaper editorial board that makes people want to write stuff like this? Oh man, some people are waiving crude, homemade signs and talking smack about the pipeline. Oh man, we have to get with the pipeline. The pipeline is in trouble. Quick, open a new document and start typing. Really, is this what they get out of bed to do each day?

Comments

  1. What’s the problem with an editorial in favor of the project? Would you have had the same reaction if the editorial sided with the protesters? These people are doing more than just waving signs, it sounds like they’re going to take the case to court to try and stop it.

    It seems like every time a business wants to open in this area, there are some groups that will stop at nothing to try and kill the project. I don’t have a problem with asking legitimate questions like you have with Excelsior Energy that are basically gov’t sponsored projects, but Enbridge is getting little if any gov’t help and actually has a product that we need.

    With all of the mines closing on the Iron Range, the region (Iron Range, Twin Ports, NW Wisconsin) is producing almost nothing other than a few planes at Cirrus and a little bit of paper in West Duluth and Cloquet. With the mines being basically shut down, it means jobs being cut at Canadian National railway and Minnesota Power in the Twin Ports. I heard through the Grapevine that Minnesota Power recently laid off 40 people as well, most of whom were white collar employees.

    Here we have a chance to have a major expansion of Superior’s Enbridge Energy and a few people with special interests are trying to kill it because it causes “global warming”. And if the pipeline doesn’t go here, it’s just going to go somewhere else along with the jobs it would create and releasing just as many, if not more, “global warming” causing pollutants. Without legitimate privately funded projects like this one, more and more productive people will leave and the area will simply continue to slowly decline until everything is gone other than a few tourists.

  2. Toni Wilcox says

    There is a small, but growing, group of people on the Leech Lake Reservation opposing the pipeline because they feel the tar sands development in Alberta is too destructive to Canada’s First Nations, and the LLBO tribal council did some quick approval for cash (for the band, not personal corruption). I don’t have a dog in the fight either, but the opposition could make this more of a story.

  3. Anonymous says

    Todd – Aaron tone is generally against this because he’s generally against business.

    Aaron is a strong supporter of Rep Tom Anzelc. Tom had the opportunity to vote at least nine times for bills supporting business in Minnesota. (According to the Small Business Federation of Minnesota). Tom voted in favor of improving the environment for businesses only once. One out of nine times.

    Aaron does not understand that businesses create jobs. He believes that government creates jobs…and do so by taking money, as much as they can get, from people working at real jobs.

  4. Anonymous says

    Rep Anzelc should check to see if the Iron Range is being considered…It’d be thousands of very good paying, long term jobs..

    “Industry analysts have said that Boeing will need a second final-assembly plant to meet its ambitious goal of producing 10 787jets per month by the end of 2012.

    Boeing has already put Washington state on notice that more attractive business and labor climates in other states could sway the company to build their airplanes elsewhere”.

  5. Hi anonymous, though I’m starting to piece together clues on who you are.

    You know, I’m in the room. This is my blog. You don’t have to talk around me.

    Sigh. OK, I meant this post to be fun but no one wants to have fun anymore. Always with the arguing. Fine.

    I am not just a supporter of Tom Anzelc I am his campaign chair and a close friend. You might not agree with him — he is opinionated — but he is an honest and well meaning man and I will back him to the gates of hell.

    To say someone is “against business” is as easy as saying you’re “for education.” What does that really mean? The balance between business and workers rights, jobs and the environment, taxpayer dollars spent and saved is the fundamental reason we have a democracy with elections, and parties and debates. There is a give and take and a discussion to be had about what is appropriate or not, and when, and why, and how.

    Like I said, I get the whole rationale behind the pipeline. I don’t know enough to say I’m against it, I was just pointing out what I thought was humorous … that our largest regional paper would drop what it was doing to write a frantic editorial against what seems to be a long shot legal effort to stop the pipeline. This pipeline won’t be stopped because the powerful interests behind it have already prevailed in the key early debates.

    But our media — and apparently commenters on this blog — still feel the need to answer the call when big business is annoyed by regular folks asking questions.

  6. Oh, and hell yes we’d be interested in building some airplanes on the Iron Range. Where do we sign up?

  7. Anonymous says

    Ask Tom to give it a go Aaron. I’ll be watching to see how aggressively he goes after it…

    According to Boeing’s Web site, Boeing will consider these factors:

    Transportation, including access to a suitable runway, proximity to a port capable of around-the-clock operations, continuous availability for heavy traffic between the plant site and port, and proximity to railways and interstate highways;

    Facilities, such as available land, building and related infrastructure;

    Total cost of doing business, which will be judged according to land and building costs, construction costs, site preparation, as well as taxes, utilities and insurance;

    Work force, which includes training infrastructure and opportunities for partnerships with local agencies, available labor pool, and quality of public schools;

    Environmental considerations, such as local flying weather, extreme temperature impact to manufacturing, and susceptibility to natural disasters;

    Community support;

  8. Wow, about the only strike we’d have against us is the winters. I will tell Tom about this. Do you have a link? I could also post about it as an idea.
    Thanks!

  9. It may be a longshot legal effort, but there aren’t these longshot legal efforts simply never take place in most other areas of the country whenever somebody wants to build something.

    I have no problem with asking legitimate questions, but this group is just grasping at straws. If nothing else, it sends a bad message to entrepreneurs and companies who might consider investing here.

  10. Are there people that haven’t figured out the scam called MMGW? Seriously?

    I don’t agree with the opposition; I wouldn’t give them the time of day.

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