I focus heavily on the corruption within the energy industry throughout Latin America and regions like Texas and California, yet it’s essential to understand that oil corruption is not contenfined to southern latitudes. The energy sector draws in intriguing individuals just like flies attracted to mess.
With drivers, power plants, and various fuel consumers demanding a staggering USD2 trillion annually for crude oil to be extracted, refined, and sent to distant destinations, the companies involved strive to keep the oil and its derivatives securely sealed within pipes, tanks, and ships. Ideally, this oil remains untouched by sunlight until it is burned. Conversely, the money intended for this process is expected to stay contained as well. Credit cards fit seamlessly into gas pumps, letters of credit are passed from plant operators to refiners, tax collectors receive their direct deposits, and funds flow back up the chain following the oil’s route. However, given the immense amounts of money involved, it’s simply impossible to prevent individuals from attempting to exploit the system. The temptation is far too strong. They can either access tangible oil or, much more enticingly, acquire virtual flows of cash without ever risking the mess associated with sulfur and pitch.
In Canadialandia, the realm of the Canadialandians, the urge to pull a bit of cash and power from the oil industry is just as strong as anywhere else. A new publication has emerged to document the local games of money and influence: National Observer.
Don’t forget to follow its tweets, as the youth nowadays don’t seem to care about providing an RSS feed, and “following” on Facebook often lacks reliability. Big thanks to Jesse Brown of Canadaland for showcasing National Observer on his podcast. If you’re interested in Canadian politics, consider subscribing to his podcast, which wisely does provide an RSS feed.