Ahh! To Export Or Not To Export., That's The Question.

       Ya want to hear a good joke? Well, U.S. oil refiners and U.S. oil producers are arguing over which should be exporting the oil. The producers claim that if they export oil, the world prices will come down bringing domestic prices down. Oil refiners claim it will cut them out and cost the American consumer more at the pump. It's unusual for these industry partners to be squabbling.
       So what should the federal government do? Allow for exporting crude oil or increase exports of gas and diesel? My guess is that either way, domestic prices will rise. The industry already has that figured out. They're not fighting each other that hard yet. What it's about is who gets to make the bigger profits and who doesn't. That was easy to figure out.
       But here's the part I don't get. If we have so much extra oil that we need to start exporting even more than we do now, why do we need to build a pipeline from Canada to Texas to pump, dirtier than you can imagine, tar sands oil, which will then be exported? Is this a national strategy that will help America? It sounds more like a corporate grab for cash.
       Now I'm not suggesting that corporations shouldn't grab for cash. After all, that's what they were designed to do. But what's in it for America? It looks to me like the only thing America can get out of it is the possibility of mishaps, spills, toxic waste and headaches. The Canadian company that wants the pipeline has threatened to build one, in Canada, to the west coast of Canada. Maybe that's what they should do. It would be one less problem for America. I just don't see a need for America to be involved. If our oil needs are too great to do without this extremely dirty Canadian oil, which will be exported anyway, why don't we stop all exports and use our own oil? It sounds like we'd be able to decrease our dependence on foreign oil even more, or maybe all together. And that includes not exporting the north slope oil from Alaska.
       The idea wouldn't harm those we've been exporting to, because they could just start buying what we stopped buying. The same amount of oil would be changing hands. Why can't our government see this? Now I realize there's more to it than this, but it really looks like we're being had. It's a joke.