Marcellus Pipeline Formation

As a way to directly link the unrefined tar-sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the refineries in Texas, there is no doubt that the Keystone XL Pipeline remains a topic of controversy. As with many large projects, there are both positive and negative consequences that result from its construction. While there are potential economic benefits like the creation of infrastructure-related jobs and a potential shift from energy dependence, there are many dangers to the building of the pipeline. The notion of building a pipeline that connects Canada and the United States for economic reasons is neither completely unjustifiable nor unreasonable, but given the current circumstances, in which ecological damage and neglect on the part of TransCanada are likely, I cannot support the building of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The construction of pipelines means that companies would have to dig up ground, which could lead to several issues. The most notable issue of the oil pipelines is the destruction of the life cycle. Deforestation, homeless wildlife, and soil erosion are the main factors that would be greatly affected in the life cycle. (Williams, 2012). Although this issue is of great concern, there is not a more effective, efficient, and safer way to transport oil across the country. All other modes of transportation cause greater emissions of detrimental gases to the environment from the pulling of the heavy amounts of oil. Lastly, pipelines have valves that can block off spillages, while other methods have no possible way of stopping these spillages, causing the same environmental defects as the construction of the

The Keystone Pipeline already exists and runs from “oil sand fields in Alberta, Canada into the US, ending in Cushing, Oklahoma” (What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?). The current topic concerning this pipeline is the expansion of the pipeline to create the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will consist of “1,700 new miles of pipeline” (What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?). This project would offer expansion from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast of Texas, “where oil refineries abound”, and expansion from Alberta to Kansas, allowing for the pipeline to “pass through a region where oil extraction is …booming” (What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?).

The Keystone XL Pipeline will provide a secure and reliable source of oil for the United States. The southern portion of the pipeline alone can “ transport 830,000 bpd of crude from Cushing, Oklahoma to Gulf Coast refineries” (Kalen). The Keystone XL pipeline is necessary to keep up with consumer demand as the supply from Mexico and Venezuela decreases continually. The oil imports from Mexico and Venezuela are unreliable and are continually declining; therefore, the Keystone XL Pipeline will provide a reliable source of oil for

The economic impact, including the costs and benefits of extending the pipeline into America. A lot of environmentalists believe the pipeline extension hinders the ecosystem by changing the landscape to build the pipeline. The actual cost associated with the Keystone XL pipeline extension is $3.4 billion dollars and creates thousands of construction jobs. This provides our country with a great solution to our slumping economy, by decreasing our unemployment rate and stimulating the economy with more money. The cost of the pipeline benefits the job outlook. The only problem with that is the cost to construct the pipeline can only go so far for the short run. After the project is finished, those construction jobs would disappear. With almost 4,000 jobs created from a project like this, only 35 jobs would be permanent when the pipeline is complete, meaning over 3,900 people would have to find work afterwards. In the long run, the United States would have to pay $60 million dollars every year to maintain the pipeline on top of an estimated $2 billion dollars in environmental costs. The economic benefits would only get us so far before the start to decline leaving rising environmental costs. Assuming the pipeline would not be policed, species of animals will start to make the pipeline their new home since theirs was taken away. This can wear down the pipeline, comprising its structure.

The environmental consequences, of drilling and other related to the activities of this new pipeline not to mention the nature that is being destroyed. Not to mention the protected forests and other sorts of landmarks that this pipeline will damage.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposed expansion of the current Keystone pipeline that would cover over 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas. The purpose of the pipeline is for the transport of extracted tar sands from Canada to the Gulf Coast refineries and ports for export. The proposed pipeline would cross 1,073 rivers, lakes, streams, and the Ogallala aquifer. The Ogallala aquifer is one of the largest in the world. It provides two million people with drinking water and more than a quarter of America’s agriculture with water for irrigation. There would be a large ecological impact, affecting communities and destroying habitats. Building Keystone XL would add 27.4 million metric tons of carbon pollution to the atmosphere per year, adding to the global climate change dilemma. Aside from the damage as a result of constructing the pipeline, oil spills cause contamination and are costly to cleanup. The company proposing the expansion, TransCanada, has stated that thousands of jobs would be created. In fact the project would only create thirty five permanent jobs with the remainder consisting of temporary or contract work (“Stop Keystone,” n.d.).

Keystone pipeline is a proposed crude oil pipeline that would be built from Hardisty, Alberta all way through Steele, Nebraska. It would stretch for 1,179 miles and it would transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day. The project was proposed by Trans-Canada to the United States government in 2005 and since then, it has been a controversial subject between the two neighbouring countries. The company argues that the pipeline would support more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs while reducing American dependence on foreign oil by 40%. The president has the veto power over the decision on keystone and so far nothing has been agreed on with both parties. The project is currently being reviewed by the U.S senate.

One of the big issues is farmers in Iowa are concerned about the damage to the land and groundwater if the pipeline had a leak and went into the ground or water. This pipeline is 1170 miles long and it could carry 500,000 barrels of oil a day. The big problem is it has to go through the river and if the pipeline leaked any oil it could contaminate that river and people drinking water. According to the USA, The Bakken oil company sends some of their oil by rail if they build this pipeline they can move corn quicker on rail and not have problems, But if they move corn quicker the price of grain will go down and it will hurt the farmer. Another problem is the farmer put tile in the ground to drain water off their land the company putting in the pipeline does not care about the farmers tile The pipeline would cost 3.8 billion dollars. This concludes that the environment and farm are affected by this big time.

Canada has the second largest oil reserves and is a major producer and exporter. This attribute comes with great demand for faster means to get the oil produced to different areas where it is needed. The Keystone Pipeline XL project is however one of such means, created to transport oil from Alberta, Canada and the Bakken Shale Formation in the United States to Steele City, Nebraska for onward delivery to Cushing, Oklahoma, and refineries in the Gulf Coast area. The United States is the world’s top crude oil consumer. According to U.S Energy Information Administration, in 2015, the United States consumed a total of 7.08 billion barrels of petroleum products, an average of about 19.4 million barrels per day. This essaying will portray what the Keystone Pipeline XL project is about, the potential benefits and who supports its construction, it will also look at the opposing side; the potential negatives and who is against its construction. Here, I will consider the steps that can be taken to minimize potential negative impacts and to ensure environmental sustainability of the project. After reviewing the potential benefits and costs of this project, I will then render my own decision and conclude.

The natural gas oil is one of the most valuable resources on the planet Earth. Throughout history oil has cost revolutionized transportation and space exploration in the United States. In the 20th and 21st century conveyance of oil has been done through tracks and pipeline. Today large corporations such as the Texas Based Energy Transfer Partners have designed an oil pipeline which will pass through a Native American Sioux Tribe reservation in North Dakota. The Dakota Access Pipeline also known as the Bakken Pipeline will carry over 7.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil. The DAPL or Dakota Access Pipeline should be finished because its completion equals an improved economy and a cost-efficient despite the oppositions errant claims.

Dalrymple explains the impact of the pipeline and what it plans to bring to North Dakota by writing, “The pipeline project is bringing in 8,000 to 10,000 construction jobs and 40,000 operating jobs. It is estimated when the pipeline is finally built, North Dakota will receive 156 million dollars of sales and income tax” (2015). Additionally, the pipeline would make a huge impact on the revenue of North Dakota, as well as the job industry. The reason the ETP says their pipeline is the safest is because it is underground, so it is more secure than transferring by ships, trains, or trucks. The pipeline will reduce the cost of roadways for trucks and transport of trains, which has a higher chance of crashing. ETP are using state of the art technology that will be monitored 24 hours, 7 days a week to ensure nothing goes askew. The company says their pipeline meets and exceeds federal regulations and safety requirements.

Opposition against the formation of these pipelines seem clear when taken note of the complications to which it can cause, like environmental risk, inessential expenditures, and the ruination of ancestral lands. “In 2010, an Enbridge Energy pipeline dumped more than 843,000 gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, resulting in a cleanup that lasted years and cost more than a billion dollars,” which incites the thought that these disasters and accidents can disrupt economic stability more than it would assist, given the gamble of safety is lost. The circumstance isn’t worthy of such an insecurity. Oil spills are already an economic destitution and environmental hazard worldwide, there is no need to add on to it with such an uncertain

We are venturing into a period of time in which fossil fuels such as oil are starting to share the same importance as water. Looking back in time, an abundance of fossil fuels was not a myth but a reality. However as time went on this resource began to deplete, and landing in present time the façade of abundance quickly faded. Oil deposits are quickly draining and new reserves cannot be found to offset current production. On top of that a major point of concern lies in the fact that oil reserves are not scattered evenly across the globe, meaning that places around the world have to import oil to sustain their needs. A method of solving this issue is through the application of pipelines, which differ from conventional methods such as shipping via rail or sea. This essay will focus on a specific pipeline named the Keystone XL that is located in the United States, and furthermore examine both the positive and negative connotations associated with this controversial project. Methods that can help minimize the negative effects on the environment will also be examined, as well as a personal perspective on the project.

Pipeline transportation is a process which can be used to transport natural gas from discovery areas or refinery plant to its distribution station, its length is generally from hundreds to thousands of kilometers. It has already had 130 years history, its development is closely related to the improvement of oil and gas industry as one of the main way to ship oil and natural gas. Modern pipeline transport began in the mid-19th century, the first natural gas pipeline around the world has been built at 1886 in Pennsylvania of American but its further development is beginning in the 20th century. With the expansion of natural gas industry after World War II, countries in the world have begun to build considerable natural gas pipelines, the length of global main pipelines have exceed 1,600,000 Kilometer so far. Currently, it has already become an important way to transport a large quantity of natural gas on land. This essay will show the efficiency of natural gas pipeline transportation in safety, stability and economy aspects. In addition, pipelines can enable natural gas transport more secure, stable and economical. Pipelines’ safety will be discussed in the first, following this, the essay will show that pipelines are easier to maintain a stable operating condition. At last, the economy of pipelines will be given.