In the near future, President Obama is expected to give construction on the Keystone XL pipeline a definitive thumbs up or thumbs down. The decision he makes could determine the fate of the Canadian tar-sands industry and, with it, the future well-being of the planet. If that sounds overly dramatic, let me explain.
Along with “fivedollaragallongas,” the energy watchword for the next few months is: “subsidies”—a word representing at least $10 billion in freebies and possibly as much as $40 billion annually in freebie cash for an energy industry already making historic profits.