What if pipelines don't last long enough to pay off?

It's not just investors that have to consider costs & benefits. For society as a whole, any resources directed towards oil use take, as opportunity cost, resources away from alternative energy R & D. This means the true costs of oil use are underestimated, on top of the fact that we've spent decades using oil without considering the true environmental costs.

Yes. But it's investors making their decisions that will swing this either was. At the moment I'm surprised there's still such a big push on from Alberta to build pipes (see Notley's kitchen table address) when even with no opposition, the product is so devalued and the world is awash in the stuff. They say that the drying up of investment has affected Canada more than any other producer. May be time to quite flogging a dead horse.

Private investors will invest in what makes sense.

Despite billions in subsidies 'green' enterprises keep failing in droves so they're obviously not a good investment.

Pipelines are a proven technology and they've been profitable for around 150 years. That makes them a sensible investment.

Perhaps you're failing to measure the benefits of carbon based fuels. :idea:

If all you're looking to find are the negative impacts then the chances are that that's all you'll find.

Fail.

I'd could post a list of start up failures in other "new technology" sectors. Nothing surprising. When a new industry starts up, people fail. How many "dot-coms" went tits up in the dawning days of the internet? How many automakers went under in the 1920s? etc, etc...

I could also post a list of resounding business success stories in the "green industries" sector. That list would be hundreds of times longer than the 10 bankruptcies you listed.

And it doesn't mean shit. No matter how long the list.
Are you trying to use business failures to imply green technology or philosophy is a failure? Look in your own house FFS, the lights, the electronics, your furnace, insulation, appliances, the car you drive. They all use way less energy than they did 25-35 years ago.
Even if you drive an F350 4x4 daily, the damn thing uses half the gasoline and will last twice as long as an F150 from the 1990s.
Damn rights there should be an Energy East pipeline, we'll still use oil 35 years from now and its absurd not to use our own oil in Canada. The big pitch is pipelines to export oil - so they can get better prices from countries that need more oil and not less. And that won't do YOU any good whatsoever, it will increase your costs for gas.
FFS we're going ahead with the Site C dam here in BC, we really don't need it but I'm not marching and going on hunger strikes, its better than building an oil, nuke or coal fired alternative. And one day, we will need the power.
I'm thinking of applying for a position here at a new co-gen plant that's opening soon. Wood waste into electric, shit that used to be burnt or left to rot is now going to provide power and some work here.
Let's try one business not on the list - Ballard. They haven't delivered shit as far as a useable affordable fuel cell in 35 years. Still going though, so are they a failure?