When the President initially vetoed the TransCanada Company’s proposed $7 billion Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline, it meant that 830,000 barrels of oil a day would not travel from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf’s oil refineries. Though a politically popular decision with environmentalists, it was very unpopular with construction unions, as well as most Americans.
In my opinion one of the main pros I can see is that the Keystone pipeline is not simply about oil, but also about thousands of jobs (estimated to be 20,000 construction and 100,000 indirect jobs) and significant effects on the economy. It’s therefore important to analyze the President’s decision.
One of the main cons I’ve found is about the big contamination the Keystone Pipeline could produce.
-Cons:
-Tar Sands oil is the dirtiest oil on the planet
Producing synthetic crude oil from tar sands generates three times the global warming pollution of conventional crude production. Extracting tar sands bitumen – a low-grade, high-sulfur crude oil that must be extensively refined to be turned into fuel – uses vast amounts of energy and water.
-Canadian tar sands oil would be exported
Keystone XL would have diverted Canadian oil from refineries in the Midwest to the Gulf Coast where it could be refined and exported. Many of these refineries are in Foreign Trade Zones where oil may be exported to international buyers without paying U.S. taxes.
The facts reveal this pipeline was never in America’s national interest. Clean energy and fuel efficiency is the path forward for economic and energy security in America – not another tar sands pipeline. By rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama is helping move America down a cleaner, safer path.
In the link below you can read different reasons about why the pipeline is not a good idea (cons):
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/18/six-reasons-keystone-xl-was-bad-deal-all-along/
-Pros:
-In the other hand we have the pros of the Keystone XL Pipeline, and they are mainly about economy:
A policy study shows that Keystone XL will generate approximately $1.8 billion in economic activity during construction in Nebraska alone. The study also found that Keystone XL will have a substantial tax impact, generating $134.6 million in state and local levies.
Here I’ll enclose a pair of videos defending this huge pipeline:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aWPZxQ7Omk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiMHj-YIky0#t=31
PS: In the link below you can read a really interesting article I’ve found, maybe it could help you to understand a little more about the problem and the other external factors that may influence in the government decisions:
http://nypost.com/2014/03/29/the-keystone-pipeline-is-obamas-best-revenge-on-putin/
Sources:
http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001628
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41668.pdf