FACT CHECK: How much economic investment in energy projects has Canada lost out on?

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

Is transporting LNG by train safe?

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

Where The Presidential Candidates Stand on Fracking

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 …

FACT CHECK: Will Blocking Pipelines Reduce Demand For Natural Gas?

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

Pipeline Protesters Paralyze Canadian Rail Lines

Pipeline protesters in Canada have shut down much of the nation’s rail system, blocking passenger train service between the country’s biggest cities and preventing food, oil, gas, lumber and other drivers of the Canadian economy from getting delivered.

The protests, which are centered on a $6.6 billion natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia, entered their 13th day Tuesday, a day after Canadian Prime Minister vowed to find a “quick and peaceful resolution” to the protests.

It may be too late for the quick part. As the CBC notes, protesters began holding up rail traffic east of Toronto on …

Two Questions for Senator Sanders

Washington Post opinion writer Charles Lane poses 14 questions for Democratic presidential frontrunner and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – two of which are particularly relevant to the future of American energy:

4. You seek to end all oil and gas fracking by 2025, abolishing an industry that directly or indirectly employs tens of thousands of people at often good-paying blue-collar jobs in states such as Colorado, Ohio, New Mexico, North Dakota and Texas. There are 80,000 fracking-related jobs just in Pennsylvania, which President Trump carried by 44,292 votes in 2016.

If these working-class Americans asked for a detailed plan

U.S. Energy Success Emphasized During State of the Union

In recent years, the United States has made significant progress when it comes to energy production and exports, Remarkably, this past September the U.S. made history when it exported more petroleum products than it imported for the first time since EIA records began in 1949. Earlier this week, President Trump spoke about oil and natural gas during the State of the Union and stated:

“Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world, by far. With the tremendous progress we have made over

Natural Gas Benefits Everyone – Including Anti-Fracking Candidate Elizabeth Warren

GAIN has previously pointed out the significant economic and environmental benefits of natural gas. Increased use of natural gas has played a key role in lowering U.S. carbon emissions from the power sector. Natural gas is cleaner-burning than coal, and is domestically available in shale formations from the Permian in Texas to the Marcellus in Pennsylvania.  The natural gas and oil industry supports more than 10 million jobs each year. Furthermore, oil and gas leases alone generated $1.1 billion of revenue for states in 2018. The benefits go on and on.

Natural gas also provides royalties to mineral owners.

While …

As Nation Achieves Energy Independence, Sen. Sanders Proposes Banning Fracking, Exporting Oil

Senator Bernie Sanders – seeking the Democratic nomination for president – in recent days has introduced legislation that would ban fracking and has reportedly drafted an executive order to ban oil exports when he becomes president.

As we have noted previously, such proposals are short-sighted to American economic and geopolitical security. Energy exports are major job drivers at home, bolster the global energy market, and protect national security, especially in light of unrest and unpredictability in the Middle East.

Just as a Democrat has cautioned Senator Sanders not to oppose a pipeline in Minnesota, they are warning him about …

FACT CHECK: Would a Fracking Ban Hurt Democrats in Pennsylvania?

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 …