From today's Calgary Herald:
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer raised a red flag Friday over the potential use of taxpayers’ dollars by the federal and Alberta governments to backstop the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.Spending federal money to subsidize a private company -- isn't that done all the time? Ask Elon Musk about federal incentives for EVs. In fact, taken to its extreme, it's not a lot different than "bailing out" automotive companies which the US did some years ago. Shoot, spending federal money to subsidize wind and solar energy is being done by any number of countries all around the world. What's different about "helping" a pipeline company.
With British Columbia’s NDP government trying to kill the $7.4-billion pipeline project, and proponent Kinder Morgan setting a May 31 deadline for the uncertainty around the project to be resolved, one option raised by the Notley and Trudeau governments to move the pipeline forward is public investment.
Possibilities that have been floated range from insurance guarantees to reimburse Kinder Morgan for losses caused by delays, to equity investments, to Alberta’s outright purchase of the pipeline.
Scheer, speaking at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Westin Hotel, said it’s absurd the situation has devolved to a potential government subsidy for a private company willing to spend its own money as long as it is confident it can proceed.
Can it be done?
"You bet your sweet bippy, it can."
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Bailouts
Speaking of bailouts, there are rumors over on Twitter that Jeff Bezos could bail out Elon Musk.
Jeff Bezos has said that the one thing that he will spend his fortune on: going into space. Bailing out Tesla puts Jeff Bezos only two degrees from Space X.
I'm not making any of this up.
I think it's fascinating.
Jeff Bezos' net worth: $130 billion.
How much does Elon Musk need: not more than $5 billion this year.
Pocket change for Jeff.
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