Oil And Natural Gas Pipelines

Almost 95 million barrels of oil and fuel are produced each day in order to provide energy and fuel to people the world over. A major component of the oil industry is the transportation of oil through various means including oil pipelines. These pipelines are capable of transporting thousands of barrels of oil thousands of miles per day. In the United States one possible pipeline has caused a lot of controversy and discussion on the impact it will have on the United States. The difficulty in deciding if the Keystone XL Pipeline should be built is in whether the possibility of economic growth outweighs the possibility of environmental destruction. In order to make a decision, one must first look into the history of oil pipelines. It is crucial

Some stakeholders in the Northern Gateway Project would counter with defending the Enbridge as they plan on using thicker pipe and horizontal drilling to bore beneath 30 rivers, instead of passing through them. Though they are changing their pipe sizes and thickness, this new material is being used for the first time and could potentially become a disaster if the pipe breaks and leaves over the ocean, rivers and/or environments. (5)

The pipeline is 1,172 mile long and it will transport approximately 470,000 barrels of oil per

Pipeline is the best alternative and safest mode of transporting fuel compared to freight trains or tanker tracks. However, there are those who argue that it is not safe because of lack of adequate resources to inspect them, as well as the absence of regulations regarding the use of a pipeline to transport fuel. Equally important, another issue is the great hazard to human life and environment that can be difficult to control or eliminate in case of a spill.

Considering the potential negative effects this pipeline would have on the environment if a leak

The Keystone Pipeline is an oil system that stretches from Canada to the USA and is a proposed 875 mile pipeline project. It transfers and delivers approximately 830,000 barrels of oil per day. This project was originally developed by TransCanada and ConocoPhillips, but TransCanada bought ConocoPhillips interest and is now the sole owner of the Keystone Pipeline. There are 3 phases to the Keystone Pipeline with a fourth phase that is proposed. The Keystone Pipeline is considered the safest and most effective oil pipeline operation in North America. It

The final environmental risk consists of the issue of gas emissions that could be produced at pumping stations and along the pipeline itself. If high levels of poisonous emissions sweep through the open air, it could result in the loss of numerous wildlife lives; again causing endangered species and other species to remain at a potentially high risk of population reduction (Palliser, 1).

The Keystone XL pipeline is needed for the transportation of petroleum products and to help the great demand of petroleum products in the economy

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 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

Imagine living in a third world country with overcrowded houses and no job. That is how, “about 22% of our country’s 5.2 million Native Americans live” (A Program of Partnership With Native Americans). Right now Native American people take up about 2% of all land in North America, most of it being around the area of North and South Dakota. Over the past week there have been protests over the insertion of an oil pipeline through the Native American people, mainly the Standing Rock tribe’s, sacred land. This new pipeline would, “threaten water supplies for the Standing Rock Sioux and millions of others downstream, and its route would destroy tribal burial grounds and sacred cultural land” (Healy). Many of the Native American people, along

When talking about courage, both sides show it by going against what the other is for. By that I mean the tribes in Sioux are against the pipeline and speaking up even though it could cause them to be arrested or injured. While the people for the pipeline are fighting for their belief in the pipeline, opening up themselves to ridicule and backlash for their views. They both are showing courage within their actions by fighting for their way.

Pipeline transportation has been around for many years and is very contributory to the United States transportation system. According to Pipeline101 (2016d), the use of pipelines for oil transport has been around since the 19th century (p. 1). The first pipes only went a short distance, and delivered oil from drill holes directly to tanks or refineries (Pipeline101, 2016d, p.1). As the demand for products increased, so did the pipeline industry. During the 1860s, pipe material changed from cast or wrought iron to steel (Pipeline101, 2016d, p.1). In the beginning of the 20th century, the oil business shift from kerosene lamp oil to gasoline in an effort to keep up with the rise of automobile production (Pipeline101, 2016b, p. 1). After some successful years of business, the Federal government felt the need for involvement and passed the Valuation Act in 1913 as their first attempt in the ratemaking (Pipeline101, 2016b, p. 1). Within twenty years’ crude oil pipes were running across most of the nation (Pipeline101, 2016b, p. 1). Just as things were going well, oil production declined throughout the lower states and the petroleum supply was mostly derived from Canada and overseas (Pipeline101, 2016c, p. 1). Companies in the Gulf Coast, California, and the Mid-West, quickly assisted (Pipeline101, 2016c, p. 1). In 1968 another concern arose, how to transport oil through the frigid mountains of Alaska. After much research and work, in 1977, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was

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