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The Keystone Xl Pipeline Is Job Creation

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Having depicted a clear presentation of each of the arguments from opponents and supporters, this paper will now examine the strengths and weaknesses of each argument. One argument made my proponents regarding the Keystone XL pipeline is job creation. Proponents argue that the Keystone XL pipeline will create a total of 9,000 direct jobs and 42,000 indirect jobs. However, of these proposed jobs, only 35 permanent jobs are to be created. Proponents defend this small amount of jobs by stating that this clearly show how efficient the Keystone XL pipeline truly is. Opponents to the Keystone XL pipeline argue that this minuscule amount of jobs is simply not worth risking the environment. While advocates of the Keystone XL pipeline portray the …show more content…

A report from the Heritage Foundation only cites 9 scholarly sources. The study offered by the Fraser Institute indicates that there is no evidence that the Keystone XL pipeline will be a huge job creator from the opposing side. However, this study offers 8 scholarly sources.
Both sides pose arguments regarding the environment. Proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline state that the pipeline is environmentally sounds and extremely safe. An argument opponents make is that carbon dioxide emissions from tar sands extraction is equivalent to adding 5.7 million passenger vehicles to the roads annually. The EPA report states that over the course of 50 years, this proposed pipeline would emit 1.37 billion more tons of GHG into the atmosphere. This would contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions. However, the Department of State concluded that the amount of greenhouse gases that would be released would be equivalent to 300,000 passenger vehicles annually. Because the studies these stakeholders used to present their argument came to very different conclusions, with a huge difference in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, looking at the logic of their arguments aids in determining which side is more accurate. The proponent side offers an extremely low number of equivalent passenger vehicles, while the opposing side offers an extremely high number. However, when looking at the reasoning that the opposing side offers helps understand this side. Opponents to the Keystone

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