The most conspicuous thing about the anticipated Trump approval of the Keystone Pipeline this morning is that he looks, well awful is one word that comes to mind, but tired will do. Bear in mind that this Friday is also a day when his vaunted Trumpcare could go down the drain in the House of Representatives. Bear in mind that there are numerous large problems pending, among them the still unresolved matter of Trump ties to Russia. Trump is not noted for being an endurance runner. He has won more by cleverness and aggression than by the patient conservation of vital energy.
So today's signing, punctuated by his desultory estimate that there would be 18,000 jobs, was perhaps his most lackadaisical performance in months. It can be reviewed on the CNN clip that is part of the tweet below.
Carbon addiction
Meanwhile, the New York Times account of today's order reminds us that the reason President Obama rejected the Keystone pipeline project was to turn Americans away from undue reliance on carbon. Even during the 60 days that Trump has had to wait to reverse the order, the wheels of commerce have turned. Things move more and more toward renewables as our future energy source.
Trump administration approves Keystone XL pipeline @CNNPolitics https://t.co/HjMfr24ZOl
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) March 24, 2017
Facing the end of oil
The antiphonal response is probably Rex Tillerson's stint as an anonymous email correspondent regarding climate change while he was running Exxon.
We are in an epic, underreported battle between what is sustainable and what is not. It affects everything and it is exceedingly scary to those who depend on an economy that must sell more and more and depends on growth.
U.S., in Reversal, Issues Permit for Keystone Oil Pipeline https://t.co/8O6HNcHXBx
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) March 24, 2017
Tillerson had to recuse himself
The permit was not signed by the Secretary of State because Rex Tillerson had to recuse himself.
Under Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon Jr. did the honors. There is a curious sense of valediction in the Trump lineup. It as though all the apostles of things as they been have gathered for a sort of a last hurrah. The protests against Keystone will continue. The protestors will become the organizers of a political future that does not involve oil. And Trump will eventually lie down and take a nap. He needs one.
