If you want to understand where we are going, here's a fact. President Donald trump on Tuesday officially abolished a rule that would make US big oil disclose deals with other nations. As Common Dreams explains,"The transparency law, known as the Cardin-Luger amendment, was an Obama-era rule established to prevent multinational energy companies from striking backroom deals with corrupt governments." Trump's summary action is particularly pleasing to ExxonMobil.
Led by Trump's new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that giant company lobbied for many years to get the Obama transparency rule off the books.
Unless the Securities and Exchange Commission comes up with a new rule that requires disclosure of big oil machinations, we can expect the fossil fuel forces to operate with impunity to ensure that the economy will remain dedicated to keeping things as they are,
Trump favors fracking, coal and deregulation
Trump, who was named Mogul by the Secret Service, told an adoring crowd in Melbourne, FL, last Saturday exactly what he intends. "You want low-cost American energy also, which means lifting the restrictions on oil, on shell, on natural gas and on clean, very clean coal. We're going to put the miners back to work. The miners go back to work." This is Trump speak for cozying up to Saudi Arabia, ensuring the spread of fracking in America and encouraging us to believe in a dream of more and more coal-based energy.
It also explains his unwillingness to cut Iran any slack.
With 'Valentine to Corruption,' Trump Officially Kills Big Oil Transparency - https://t.co/pm7uHQ0bo8
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) February 22, 2017
All this catering to big oil and by inference to the maintenance of our automobile-based economy, reflects a geopolitical premise that must be understood and examined with care.
In essence, we are witnessing the unrolling of the creation of a world where Iran will become the villain and big oil the winner. It is all couched in nice language but the binary aim is clear.
Trump is setting his sights on Iran
Here is what Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to say just last week in a joint statement: "We have built the world's largest energy trading relationship.
We share the goals of energy security, a robust and secure energy grid and a strong and resilient energy infrastructure that contributes to energy efficiency in both countries."
Don't hold your breath if you are waiting for a move past conflict and the need for more and better weapons. Don't be surprised to see Trump ratcheting up his anti-Iran talk. And don't walk, run to your favorite clean energy site and sign up for the battle of the century -- to end the grip of fossil fuels upon is all.
