Buffetting a Need

Funny how the world works. By “the world” I mean politics, and by “works” I mean “screws”. Just last week the U. S. State Department recommended that the Keystone XL pipeline project be denied. Their reason for the denial was that there was not enough time to study the proposal by February 2i, 2012. Nevermind that the State Dept. “has been conducting a transparent, thorough, and rigorous review of TransCanada’s permit application for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project” since 2008. The deadline is just too soon!! But as Newton said, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction:

Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration’s decision to reject TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

I find it funny that Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s company, just happens to be centralized in Omaha, Nebraska, the very state where the envirowhackos have claimed the pipeline would destroy wetlands and agricultural productivity. As we all know, that’s the government’s job, not the pipeline’s. Oh, and if you think it’s about environmental issues, think again.

The rail option, though costlier, would lessen the environmental impact, such as a loss of wetlands and agricultural productivity, compared to the pipeline, according to the State Department analysis. Greenhouse gas emissions, however, would be worse.

So it’s ok to protect the wetlands from the evul Canuck pipeline, the study of which the State Dept. claims would take too long before the Obama Administration deadline, but not ok to protect it from greenhouse emissions that can suffocate it, right? I guess dealing with a railroad bottleneck effect, more pollution, and higher transportation costs is better than providing much needed job creation and income stability to Americans.

At least Mr. Buffett gets to profit. From the government. With our money.