The Oil Transportation Methods Is The Keystone Pipeline

The oil production in Canada has several significant issues that depict the destruction nature of the industry. These issues can be categorized as environmental, political, economic, and social. The environmental issues lead the pack; in that the environmental destruction associated with the industry is extensive. The environmental problems are climatic, land, water and air related (Best & Hoberg, 2015). Under climatic effect, studies indicate that the development of the tar sides has resulted to three times more greenhouse gases (GHGs) than in production of conventional oil. These environmental issues are caused by the composition of the tar sands. Unlike the convention oil, tar sands are a mixture of bitumen and sand. The process of separating the two results triples GHGs emissions when compared to conventional oil production (Koring, 2013).

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

The main issues are the risk of oil spills along the pipeline, which would traverse highly sensitive terrain, and 17% higher greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of oil sands compared to extraction of conventional oil. The potential for oil spills could pollute air and critical water supplies and harm migratory birds and other wildlife. The Ogallala Aquifer spans eight states, providing drinking water for two million people and supports $20 billion in agriculture. Critics say a major leak could ruin drinking water and devastate mid-western US economy. Pipeline industry spokesman have noted that thousands of miles of existing pipelines carrying crude oil have crossed the Ogallala Aquifer for years in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Portions of the pipeline would cross an active seismic zone that had a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in 2002. TransCanada CEO described the Keystone Pipeline as “routine”, noting they have been building similar pipelines in North America for half a century the that there are 200,000 miles of similar oil pipelines in the US today. The Keystone Pipeline will include 57 improvements above standard requirements demanded by US regulations, making it the “safest pipeline ever

Another issue that has arose would include the pipeline rupturing leaving us with an oil spill on our hands. Tar sands is the most difficult type of oil to clean up in the event it were to spill. Mainly because it is so heavy it would sink straight to the bottom of the water. A perfect example of a tar sands spill happened in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010 when approximately thirty-five miles of the Kalamazoo River was closed for clean-up until June 2012, when they had portions of the river re-opened. We can still see the effects it has had on Michigan because they have not fully cleaned all of the oil out of the river. The US lost about 1,100,000 gallons due to this spill, resulting 30 to 50 households to excavate the area and were told not to drink any of their water supplies due to all the highly toxins released from the pipeline rupture. To clean up all the damage from the spill at first it was around $585 million and was expected to rise by 20 percent more. The

Opponents of the use of the pipeline mode to transport fuel claim that it is responsible for numerous deaths that occur annually. The rate of increased accidents is attributable to the fact that as a mode of fuel transportation, minimal oversight, outdated pipes, and insufficient precautions subject

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

In February 9, 2005, the TransCanada proposed a pipeline system that would be able to transport crude oil from Canada into the United States. The pipeline was given the name the Keystone Pipeline System. Originally, the pipeline was to run from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Illinois. However, in 2008 another proposition was raised in order to extend the pipeline even further to down to Texas. The proposition is known as the Keystone XL. The possible construction of the pipeline is a controversial topic. Entrepreneurs believe that such a pipeline will stimulate the nation's economy and lead to an increase in the amount of jobs. On the other side, environmentalists believe that the pipeline will be detrimental for the environment as the

Hundreds of activists have rallied all over the country to stop the approval of the pipeline, claiming that it is incredibly damaging to the environment. Most environmentalists argue that the pipeline will cause deforestation, oil spills and runoffs of toxins. Supporters of the pipeline claim that most of this could be managed with the right regulations and maintenance. Other pipelines have been known for success, although this one is quite bigger and has a larger impact on the environment.

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

The Keystone XL pipeline will be one of the largest pipelines in the United States if it is constructed. The pipeline will travel 1,702 miles from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico and will be built by TransCanada, a Canadian-based company (Song). The major pipeline will cross six states on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico, which would be carrying an impressive 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day (Molina and Xiaobi 170). Each barrel of oil is the equivalent to forty-two gallons, which is a more relatable measurement. The pipeline will also connect with the previous Keystone pipeline traveling through the heart of America. It will be carrying oil from the tar sands of Canada, which are also known as oil sands. These contain heavier crude oil than what the United States

According to a study conducted by Dr. Dagmar Etkin of Environmental Research Consulting, pipelines are not the safest mode of petroleum transportation. In accordance with this information, transportation by train is more effective and safer than using pipelines. The mode of transportation with the highest ratio of oil spillage in waterways is by vehicles such as fuel trucks. Between the years 1980 and 2003, land vehicles were in the lead with 44% oil spillage per transport, while pipelines had 32%. The remaining 24% of oil spills were awarded to train transports. These special train cars are the safest mean of transportation out of the three. Even though the percentages seem to be very close in the spectrum, the total volume of spilled oil from pipelines exceeds road vehicles by over 100,000,000 gallons of oil (Wile). However, a more recent source, the official Dakota Access Pipeline webpage states, “…pipelines are the safest, most efficient method of transporting oil, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation” (“Dakota Access

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

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.