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Billionaire and anti-Keystone XL activist Tom Steyer has sent a direct message to Canada’s leader: Essentially, bugger off.
In a letter sent Friday, Steyer accuses Prime Minister Stephen Harper of lobbying Republicans to get Keystone approval on the list of conditions for reopening the US government.
In addition to scrapping Obama Care and a slew of other demands, Republicans have told Obama to approve Keystone if he wants his government back.
Last week, before the shutdown, the New York Times reported that Republicans might be using the pipeline as a last-minute bargaining chip.
With the government now closed, environmental activists are turning their attention to Canada’s involvement. Steyer is accusing Harper of aggressively lobbying on behalf of TransCanada (NYSE:TRP) – the company behind Keystone XL.
According to Steyer’s letter, Canadian government agencies spent $650,000 lobbying US federal officials since 2009, as well as $30 million on pro-pipeline advertising in the US over the past year.
“Throughout this relentless lobbying campaign, the foreign supporters of the pipeline, led by TransCanada, have demonstrated a pattern of pushing the influence peddling envelope to secure approval of the pipeline,” Steyer writes. “This includes making representations about the pipeline promoting U.S. oil independence when in fact that oil is going to be shipped overseas.”
The hedge fund billionaire is particularly agitated by the timing of a new TransCanada advertising campaign which is set to launch in Washington, DC this weekend.
He doesn’t mince his words.
The combination of Harpers pipeline lobbying and the untimely advertising campaign “raises the question of whether your office is working hand-in-hand with TransCanada to try to exploit the current situation in Washington, DC, at the expense of the American people,” Steyer writes.
He then asks:
“Have your government, your government’s lobbyist and/or agents representing TransCanada communicated with House Republicans about including Keystone in the original litany of demands put to President Obama?”
Over the past few months Harper has been making a more aggressive push for Keystone. Most recently, the Canadian leader told the Canadian American Business Council in New York that he would not “take ‘no’ for an answer” from the White House.
TransCanada has been waiting for US Federal approval since 2008. The company recently announced that it did not expect a decision until next year.
See the full letter here.
5 Comments
AnnMay
Message to Tom
bugger off and let the politicians talk amoungst each other, you coming in here is as relevant as Rosanne Barr adding her 2 cents in.
your selfish time has come to an end.
say good bye, and leave.
Odo Shortwick
As a Canadian I feel that Harper and the pipeline can bugger off. Frankly the only ones who want it are the businesses making money from the rape of the environment and the government officials who are getting kick backs from it.
Elie
anyone mention the millions of $ poured into the massive anti pipeline protesters by fronts actually funded by the Saudis and other oil interests who want to keep oil prices high. How much is this guy benefitting by other interests in which he has a hand.
he can bugger off as PM Harper represents the interests of the people who elected him and have re-elected him multiple times. This Tom only represents his own personal interests and was elected by no one.
FIRSTBANK STUDIOS
Re: XL Pipeline … oil from Canada!
This is the Gavin Newsom for President 2016 campaign …! Gordon
Getty has the Sierra Club; President Obama and Sierra Fund in his pocket.
Gordon Getty does not care about the American consumer – he’s
already cashed out of the oil industry!
Tom Steyer; another supposed billionaire environmentalist is
managing director at Hellman and Friedman LLC; who owned Getty Images — which
is now owned by Carlyle Group LLC.
Canada is building pipelines from Alberta
to British Columbia to ship oil and natural gas to China since they have
already put about $40 billion into the Alberta oil sands project. Also there is
a pipeline recently authorized from Alberta to Irving Oil in Saint John, New
Brunswick. United States; may want to play political gamesmanship – but it
seems the Canadians are the winners after all.
David_R59
US interests are involved in stopping the pipeline to West coast of Canada.
Money is being donated to useful idiots (environmental groups) to protect the Golden Bear and old growth forest. It’s just a way of keeping the oil flowing south.
Steyer, just like Warren Buffet, are just worried about making money. Buffet is making millions with his railroad, shipping oil in tanker cars. A pipeline would end all that.
So, what is Steyer protecting?