Keystone Pipeline

The Keystone XL is a controversial oil pipeline extension that would travel from Alberta, Canada, to the United States Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL should not be built because of the damage it would cause to the environment. The oil would be found within tar sands that contain bitumen. The process of extracting the crude oil uses a lot of energy and causes a large amount of greenhouse gases. Many citizens, in Canada and the United States, are outraged because it can be detrimental to the surrounding land and wildlife. TransCanada, the company building the oil pipeline, has to receive permission from the United States government to begin construction. If the United States does not have the pipeline built and chooses to not use Canada’s oil, then TransCanada will have the pipeline built elsewhere and exported to other countries. There has been a divide between those in favor of the Keystone XL and those who are not. The Keystone XL would be able to provide the United States with a reliable source of oil, but it would also take the risk of faults in the oil pipeline and ruining parts of America’s resourceful soil. The Keystone XL will cause a negative effect on the environment and damage resourceful land; therefore, the oil pipeline should not be constructed.

One of the most controversial issues faced nowadays is the way we deal with the transport of oil. One of the proposed methods is The Keystone XL Pipeline. Although there are some pros associated with building the pipeline, the risk outweighs the benefits by far. Building the Keystone XL pipeline would negatively affect the environment, jeopardize the public health and is to no benefit to the American people.

The history of oil pipelines in the U.S. supports both sides of the argument, but in the end one must not rely on history to decide whether or not to implement such a controversial pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline could be beneficial to the US economy but the dangers to the environment must be weighed in order to decide if the new oil pipeline is necessary. We live in a world that is trying to switch over to renewable energy and help reduce global warming. The increased production of oil in the United States might not be needed even though it might be beneficial to economic

The Keystone XL Pipeline Project has many pros and cons just as any project does, but this project has way bigger cons than most projects this country will face today. “The Keystone XL Pipeline is an environmental crime in progress.” “It’s also been called the most destructive project on the planet.” The major issues with the Keystone XL Pipeline are “the dirty tar sands oil, the water waste, indigenous populations, refining tar sands oil and don’t forget the inevitable; pipeline spills.” And these are just some of the environmental issues, not too mention how building this thing from Canada to Texas; 2,100 miles to be exact, is affecting the people and their land, as stated “this isn’t a little tiny pipeline,

What is the keystone pipeline and what does it do? The keystone pipeline is an oil pipeline that was commissioned in 2010. It runs from Alberta, Canada and then into refineries in Illinois and Texas and also to an oil pipeline center in Oklahoma. This pipeline is a critical project for the United States. The Pipeline consists of four phases. The first three phases have already been completed. The fourth phase failed to receive permits from the United States government in 2015. The project proposal for Phase IV from 2012 will be new 36-inch pipeline from Alberta and into Montana and then South Dakota to Nebraska. It will transport 830,000 barrels per day of crude oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast and other areas.

In the October of 2015, oil prices have dropped to their lowest since 2008 and Canada has lost over 35,000 jobs, and the value of the loonie has dropped to a mere 77 cents compared to the U.S. Dollar. As Canada desperately clings onto the failing economy, it turns its attention to The Keystone Pipelines. The Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline was an idea proposed in 2008 by the TransCanada energy company, to deliver 830,000 barrels of oil each day beginning in Hardisty, Alberta, and extending south to Steele City, Nebraska. TransCanada claims to bring more jobs, energy security, and benefit to the Canadian and American economy. Yet, President Obama denied the proposal in 2015. Although it was a huge disappointment to Canada, the decision to deny permission for further construction of the pipeline was the right one. The future of Canada’s economy should not rely on the Keystone XL pipeline, because the devastating environmental risks, the instability of the oil industry, and Canada’s ability to expand other industries.

In his speech before the Bloomberg Energy Conference in New York on April, last year, former Canadian Minister on Natural Resources Joe Oliver outlined the significance of the Keystone XL oil pipeline in meeting the growing demands of the United States for an environmentally safe and secure energy source and distribution. He argued that North America’s continued growth as a global superpower depends on how it can meet its energy demands without depending so much on offshore sources such as the Middle East which are mostly in conflict and are therefore unstable. Oliver seems to present a compelling argument in favor of Canada’s energy projects especially when he cites independent third party reports made by the International Energy Agency

The building of the Keystone Pipeline has become a rallying cry for it proponents as well as the opposition. Although the opposing side are able to agree on little else, I believe each see the importance of the outcome of the debate. I have followed the controversy closely for the six years it has been raging. The facts behind the storm point clearly to the problems associated with the project Building the proposed extension of the Keystone Pipeline would transport product that will place vital natural resources at risk in its transport, damage the environment with the mining process used to extract it, result in increased global warming by furthering our nation’s dependency on fossil fuels, and is not in the best interest of the country.

It is not secret that Keystone XL Pipeline has been a controversial issue that last few months, and for good reason. The United States and Canada are already connected by thousands of miles of oil pipelines, but none have risen as big of an issue as the Keystone XL pipeline. There are environmentalists who oppose this project because it would create a conduit to market for petroleum extracted from the Alberta oil sands, an unconventional energy source requiring far more fuel, water and carbon emissions to extract than conventional oil and gas.

Oil is imperative to the endurance of today’s society and plays a major role in the world’s economy. The Keystone XL Pipeline is a crude oil pipeline that is designed to run from “Hardisty, Alberta…to Steele City, Nebraska,” (About The Project). Citizens of Canada and the United States are debating the development of the pipeline. There are two sides to this issue, to either approve or disapprove the Keystone XL Pipeline, and by researching this topic I will form an opinion.

Innovative thinkers and large minds of industry have decided that building a massive pipeline running through many rivers, cities, and one of the largest freshwater reserves in the United States is a good business idea. They will be able to transfer giant amounts of oil across a set distance very easily. This section from an informative website explains the project, "The Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a proposed 1,179-mile (1,897 km), 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline, beginning in Hardisty, Alta., and extending south to Steele City, Nebraska. It is intended to be a critical infrastructure project for the energy security of the United States and for strengthening the American economy."(TransCanada). These are factors of why building this pipeline will be useful. Many costs of transportation will be easily avoided and the time is takes will be shortened significantly.

The ongoing debate regarding the urge to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline Project through Keystone XL Pipeline Project Approval Act has become more interesting as the President of United States, Barack Obama vetoed the act proposed. The Senate tried to override the veto recently; however, such effort end up in failure as their vote failed to achieve two third of the required vote in order to override the veto (“Text”). This project has been the talking of people for years as some wonder the advantage and the disadvantage of this project. Recent poll shows 61% of U.S. citizens want the Keystone XL Pipeline Project Approval Act to be passed. This project requires the approval from the U.S Department of State because the projected pipeline will cross the international border between U.S. and Canada. In addition, according to Molina, the approval of this project means tar sands crude oil will be transported as much as 830,000 barrels per day from Alberta, Canada to southern Nebraska. This project is the extension of the current Keystone pipeline which transport crude oil to Illinois and Oklahoma since 2010 (170). Proponent of this project believe the approval of this project will benefit the citizens. According to Korman, this project will provide the states with safe, secure, and sustainable sources of energy; and enhance the economy growth –

We are always trying to find new ways to exploit our resources to benefit our economy and the world. But the big problem is doing this in an environmentally friendly way. If we can share our resources with other countries then that will benefit our economy and make our world a better place. But if we are going to do this there are some risks we are going to have to take. Canada and the U.S are facing this problem, where we want to sell one of our resources to the U.S, one of our closest allies but they don’t. It all started in September of 2008, where a Canadian company, TransCanada applied to the U.S Department of State for a permit to cross the U.S Canada international border to carry out the Keystone XL pipeline project. Due to the fact

Imagine you live in a world where you cannot breathe properly because of the carbon levels in the atmosphere. Some argue that this world will become a reality if the Keystone XL pipeline is built. The Keystone XL pipeline is 1179 mile pipeline that transports oil from Hardisty to Steele City, then connects back to the main pipeline. This pipeline will significantly impact the greenhouse gas levels by emitting even more carbon dioxide than that which is currently being output. But some argue that a pipeline is the most environmentally friendly way to transport crude oil.

energy needs in a way that proposes economic and social stability in many ways. This project also involves the Canadian government, it’s surely seen as a major boost to the U.S. foreign policy and economic corporation by the country’s peers. This will cost the United States economically in the long run. It will also put the United States further behind in the game to get ahead of innovation and technology for future energy systems. I believe that the Keystone XL will only further irreversibly damage the environment along with hurting the United states hegemony, and contribute nothing to US interests in the long term, and should be rejected. A history of oil spillage and leakage including the BP oil spill of 2010, which sent tons upon tons of oil into the ocean for months, shows that the extraction of oil is far from foolproof. This coupled with the fact it is undeniable that our carbon emissions are their current rate being emitted into the air will raise the temperature of the earth maybe four, six, or more degrees in the next decades or two, is proof enough that we do not need to take any more oil from the ground and need to focus on more earth-friendly renewable