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Will Canadian pipeline enrich Obama’s bitter foes?

Interesting article today from Reuters:

Koch brothers positioned to be big winners if Keystone XL pipeline is approved.

Koch Industries is already responsible for close to 25 percent of the oil sands crude that is imported into the United States, and is well-positioned to benefit from increasing Canadian oil imports.

A Koch Industries operation in Calgary, Alberta, called Flint Hills Resources Canada LP, supplies about 250,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day to a heavy oil refinery in Minnesota, also owned by the Koch brothers.

Flint Hills Resources Canada also operates a crude oil terminal in Hardisty, Alberta, the starting point of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

The New Yorker recently profiled the Koch brothers activities in bankrolling the Tea Party movement and other groups:

The billionaire brothers who are waging war against Obama

 

Today, Politico reports that the Koch brothers are seeking to raise $88 million to defeat Obama in 2012.

 

What does the White House think? According to Reuters:

It is unclear whether the president or his advisers are aware of the extent of the Koch brothers involvement in tar sands imports or have tried to quantify the economic benefit they could derive from the Keystone XL pipeline.

Obama has not shown his cards on the pipeline permit, even after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a personal appeal for swift approval at a White House meeting last week.

 

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You can follow me on Twitter at luizachsavage

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