David Milton McGowan: Are we all happy destroying ourselves?

For several years now I’ve been listening to reports that paint the petroleum production industry as being evil or at the least a “bad boy.” Since there is no evidence to support this attitude, only words from those looking to increase their own importance I have tended to be only saddened or sometimes disgusted by such rhetoric. However, listening to a CBC interview with an NDP person (perhaps he was in Bella Bella?) I found myself getting extremely angry.

There seems to be a belief in some circles that global warming has been accepted by all.

It hasn’t been!

I believe that perhaps 40% of Canadians have accepted the apocalyptic idea that is being presented. Another 30% do not believe there is ANY global warming but do believe it is all a scam to increase the importance of undeserving people and a method of extracting more money from over taxed citizens. The remaining 30%, including myself, believe that there may be some truth to a problem with our atmosphere created by those on the planet but it has been blown way out of proportion.

Do we need to make changes in our methods of creating power and production? I believe so and we have been doing a great job of that with the improvements in alternative power for automobiles and in the efficiency of solar panels. I believe we should have tens of thousands more wind farms and tide power generation and we will.

However, to transport goods across this extensive land mass we call North America we WILL be using petroleum products for the next 30 years and in a somewhat reduced capacity for the next 30 years after that. It can not be avoided.

If we are going to manufacture these alternative power sources we will be manufacturing parts made from man made materials – almost all of which are created from petroleum products

We have nothing that is both more economical and cleaner burning than natural gas. Why have we not already started piping it to customers and loading facilities? It is the best if not at this point the ONLY solution for world improvement.

Yes, the prices of crude oil have been too high. However that is the product of world demand and stock markets and even 100 million electric cars will have little effect on that price.

If you have billions of dollars to work the various stock market prices of crude oil perhaps you can bring the price of a barrel of crude down to under $40. However, that won’t have more than a few cents effect on the price of a liter of gasoline. It will also put some production companies out of business.

Besides, those with billions usually want more billions and thus reducing the price of crude is counter-productive for them.

Is it better to support that high price by buying crude from the middle east (which we do) or would it be better to supply Canada (and North America) with our own oil, which we can do for decades to come?

Crude is dirty? Compared to what? True, the refinement of crude creates more air quality questions than the development of natural gas but it is far cleaner, both for production and use than is coal. The production of an automobile creates more environmental problems than does the extraction, refinement and use of the gas that car will burn during the next 5 years.

We don’t want oil tankers on the west coast? Who doesn’t? Approximately 1500 super-tankers a year traverse the west coast from Alaska to Washington State and have been doing so for decades. It would be nice for Canada and ALL her citizens if some of those tankers carried product that will pay for Canadian development instead of US and Saudi development.

It upsets me when Eastern Canada is spending millions per day for Middle-East oil to pay for the mis-treatment of women, non-Arabs, prisoners of all types, and the assassination of those you disagree with. This foreign oil is purchased for much more per unit than a far superior product with a far cleaner back-ground in the home country.

Yes there are sources out there condemning the Canadian crude oil products but those critics are either competitors (the US and OPEC members) or they make those statements with absolutely no information in support.

There are competitors tankers on our seas – sometimes within the three mile limit – hauling competitors crude to those who should be our customers. Many times they deliver to us – who should be delivering to ourselves.

Of course everyone has heard the voices condemning pipelines - I have no idea why, but they do. There doesn't seem to be any room for discussion and no time to give reasons for being against pipelines. They work and their safe.