Fact Checks

From the growing political and regulatory challenges to indigenous opposition that recently led to hundreds of train delays and cancellations across Canada this past month, one thing is clear: building a pipeline or any type of energy facility in Canada is no easy feat. And unfortunately, energy companies and investors are growing weary over the regulatory hurdles and vocal opposition to new energy development.

After the latest rail blockades and pipeline protests made international headlines – it begs the question: what are the economic ramifications of Canada’s increasing unfriendliness towards energy investment?

Around $150 billion, according to a recent …

The Washington Post recently highlighted concerns regarding President Trump’s proposal to allow railroads nationwide to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) – a largely untested practice that poses unique risks. The proposal comes as the United States continues to produce records amount of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania and the Permian Basin in Texas.

The Post reports:

A proposed Transportation Department rule allowing liquefied natural gas, or LNG, shipments and imposing no additional safety regulations has drawn widespread criticism from local elected officials, attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia, firefighters’ organizations, unions

With Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren dropping out of the presidential race, Democrats are left with two primary candidates – Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden – in the running to face President Trump in the November election.

The new electoral dynamics offer a useful time to look at where the two contenders stand on energy issues – specifically, their views on fracking, which has helped the United States achieve energy independence while keeping energy prices low.

Sanders’ position is straightforward. In January, he introduced the Ban Fracking Act, which would issue an immediate ban on all …

CLAIM

In a column in the New York Times, journalist Will Harlan claims that blocking pipelines from crossing the Appalachian Trail – an issue before the U.S. Supreme Court – would reduce demand for natural gas, leading instead to major investments in renewable energy:

The potential implications of this case are enormous. If pipelines cannot cross the Appalachian Trail, energy companies will have to reroute or cancel them completely, perhaps opening the door for more large-scale investments in renewables. A ruling for the trail could set off a shift away from natural gas to renewable energy.

RATING:

False

FACT …

CLAIM: The New York Times recently reported two Pennsylvania Democrats, John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, and Bill Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh, agree “a pledge to ban all hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, could jeopardize any presidential candidate’s chances of winning this most critical of battleground states — and thus the presidency itself. So as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren woo young environmental voters with a national fracking ban, these two Democrats are uneasy.”

Is the concern from Fetterman and Peduto warranted? Would a fracking ban have significant economic impact on the state of Pennsylvania – potentially …