The Keystone XL project is the laying of a 36-inch diameter crude oil pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska to transfer a huge amount of crude oil from tar sands in Canada in order to refine it at the Gulf Coast (“About the Project.”). The pipeline project was proposed in 2008 by the energy company TransCanada. The pipeline would connect to an already built section running from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur, Texas. The Keystone XL would give the crude oil a more direct pathway to the gulf coast. It is 1,179 miles long and is essentially a shortcut from the first Keystone pipeline project which runs from Canada into North Dakota to Cushing, Oklahoma. This new proposition would cut through Montana and go directly to …show more content…
I think that the Keystone XL is a good project and the benefits of building it outweigh the potential negative effects. I will discuss the reasons I think that this pipeline project is a good idea. Firstly the U.S. economy would benefit from an increase in jobs and revenue that the pipeline would bring. Thousands of jobs would be created. Much of the taxes from the construction and property owned by the pipeline would contribute to the local areas that the pipeline runs through. Also transporting crude oil through pipeline is generally the safest option. Transportation by barge, rail, or trucker are the alternatives to pipeline transportation. These would generally cost more and harm the environment further, in terms of carbon emissions, than a pipeline would. People argue that the pipeline would result in more carbon emissions produced since more oil would be able to be transported down to the Gulf Coast refineries to be eventually burned by end users. This is not true because the oil from tar sands in Canada does not necessarily need a pipeline to transport the crude oil. They will use alternative transportation methods, such as listed above, to transport the crude to refineries. At least the transportation of crude oil through a pipeline would be more cost-effective, would emit fewer carbon emissions, and would benefit the U.S.
The Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline are two pipeline projects that were suspended in the past. These pipelines were stopped because they could have a big impact on people and the environment. The making of these pipelines would cause a great amount of carbon pollution. Recently, President Trump signed the order to approve the pipeline project. The projects have pros and cons, the people in favor of the pipelines think we would be able to rely less on foreign oil.
On the 9th of February 2004 TransCanada Corporation, an energy company based in Alberta, Canada proposed a plan for the installation and use of a pipeline that would stretch from Alberta, Canada to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The pipeline, titled the Keystone Pipeline, would be installed in four separate phases and once completed would transport up to 1.1 million barrels of synthetic crude oil per day. Phases two through four of the pipeline encompass the parts of the pipeline that would be installed in the United States and would be located in the states of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois. TransCanada is currently awaiting approval from the US government in order to begin the installation of the US portion of the pipeline.
With our understanding that the pipeline is safe, and there are safety precautions in place if anything ever did happen. That it is the best economical way to transport this oil. And finally our need for this oil s huge and it will be huge for a long time unless we start the process of building nuclear power right now; even in that case we still have about 15 years before that is ready to take the work load of British Columbia. Even when we have a different sustained energy we will still have the need for oil due to the fact that’s cars are the main moat of transportation in the lower main land. That means we are far away from a province let alone a country that can run without the use of oil. And seeing how to transport it via pipe line is the safest spill wise and most economically friendly it seems to be the better choice.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Imagine the world not as how it is now, but as how people wish it could be. There is no pollution, everyone has a job, the world is at peace and a safe place to live, and most importantly, everyone is happy. This is but a mere dream. Now open your eyes and look at it. See the reality of what the world truly is: we are intentionally hurting the environment, many people in the world are unemployed, many different countries are at war and people are dying because of it.
From the arguments, it is evident that the negative effects of the construction of Keystone XL Pipeline supersede its positive impacts, both on the United States of America’s economy and environment. Therefore, it is important that the country takes into consideration the negative effects that might be associated with the pipeline before embarking on its construction.
The Keystone XL pipeline continues dividing the opinion of the people and being a controversial issue. The precious “black gold”, represents one of the main factors that moves the economy, nationally and globally. This extra-long pipeline will transport oil all the way from Canada to Texas. Some experts and the private oil corporation, who is the one in charge of this project, point to the benefits of this project, for example, will make the USA more independent from foreign oil, will create thousands of jobs and improve the economy. Nevertheless, are experts revealing how the pipeline is an unnecessary risk and will be negative for the environment, dangerous for the population living close to the big pipes, and long-term negative for the
The Keystone Pipeline started construction in 2008 for the main purpose of connecting Canadian and American oil refineries to transport crude oil from the oil sands of Canada faster and more efficient. So far the first three phases of the pipeline have been completed but the proposed and most controversial is Phase IV. It connects Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Oklahoma which requires a presidential permit and it also connects the 485-mile southern leg known as the Gulf Coast Project between Steele City and Port Arthur, Texas, which is now operating (Eilperin). The benefits of the pipeline include an increase in jobs, contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S economy and also save time and money from transporting the oil by pipeline instead of tanks and rails. At the same time it would be a great harm to the environment, making the climate unstable, and could cause possible future oil spills. The articles covering the Keystone Pipeline generally list out the same points, covering the same benefits and consequences of building the pipeline. Sources like Fox News and CNS have more of an opposition towards the pipeline and narrow in on the risks and of the effects it would have on the people. Whereas news stations such as CNN and The Washington Post address both sides of the controversy but are subtle about being in favor of the pipeline. The international sources such as Al Jazeera and Reuters oppose the pipeline and are more open with supporting the environmentalists.
Projects like the Keystone Pipeline are important as they will allow us to transport more oil than we would be able to in train cars, and grants larger access to oil reserves in the United States and Canada. The Keystone Pipeline itself is an oil pipe line which runs from the western Canadian sedimentary basin in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the United States. These refineries are located in three different main locations: Steele City, Nebraska, Wood River and Patoka, Illinois and refineries located in the gulf coast of Texas.
In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions. However, the negative side effects such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits.
The Keystone oil pipeline system was designed to carry over 830,000 barrels of oil per day from the oil sands of boreal forests in Canada to oil refineries and ports in the Gulf Coast. Half of the system is already built, including a stretch of pipeline that runs east from Alberta and south through North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. The proposed 1,179-mile addition to the pipeline is now being reviewed by the States Department. The new addition to the pipeline would start in Hardisty, Alberta, cut diagonally through bisect Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, and then on another addition would connect to existing pipelines to the Gulf Coast.
more accessible to refineries and less dependent on foreign countries for all the oil needs that go on in the nation (Kalen 2). There are major political implications that come along with the Keystone Pipeline XL project. The Obama administration is trying to achieve economical security through having a secure and efficient energy plan for the United States. The original application for the pipeline project was submitted in 2008, and since it crossed the border of the United States, it needed presidential permits for the work to begin (Kalen 3). The project was supposed to be an addition to the already existing Keystone Pipeline. The political side of this project is what seems to be holding it up the most where the state department needed to have the EIS or the Environmental Impact Statement rendered to make the decision (Kalen 4). This information clearly shows that the major factor in this project is mostly politically motivated by what each party can get from either approving or denying the project. This specific project got caught up in the political spectrum and got the motivation to become a highly heated public debate because of politics. Once Barrack Obama declined the application, citing insufficient time for this is when the debate really got
These oil wells are great for the economic growth, inventing new jobs and fueling most of our vehicles. The Earth has literal oceans of oil stored in its soil waiting to be harvested. Meaning, crude oil isn’t renewable, and eventually it will run out. According to the British petroleum, the multinational gas and oil company headquarter, there is only enough to sustain the planet for roughly around 53.3 more years. The result of oil depletion will turn turbulent, and we will have to resort to renewable energy. The issue concerning this is that, renewable energies such as solar, water and wind have not been perfected and can be too expensive to use. In theory, renewable energy is still a stable and natural energy source that could potentially save the future. If the we invest in perfecting these energy sources instead of pipelines, oil companies could finally stop reaping the Earth of its oil and prevent a future crisis 50 years from now. We wouldn’t have the need to burn fossil fuels, and we could be one step closer to a cleaner Earth. Nonetheless, most people nowadays care only for shortcuts that will lead them to big money, even if it sacrifices our world’s interior, and the health of those that live upon
There has been an immense amount of evidence that shows the United States government violating agreements that were made. The state of North Dakota believes that constructing this pipeline is an advancement in the market economy, but they are disregarding the people that will be greatly affected by it. These people are the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, their sacred land is being violated by the government and corporations.
A little back ground about the Keystone XL Pipeline. TransCanada located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is proposing to build the Keystone XL Pipeline to carry primarily oil extracted from tar sands. The pipeline is a 36” wide and will be approximately 1,661 miles in length (Palliser 8). The proposed pipeline “will run from Hardisty, Alberta, to Nederland, Texas, and traverse Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas” (Palliser 8). The Keystone XL pipeline will carry up to 900,000 barrels a day of synthetic crude oil or diluted bitumen (Palliser 8).
Keystone Pipeline - Partially constructed oil pipeline system that begins in Harbisty, Alberta and ends in Illinois and Texas.