The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 36 inch crude oil pipeline project that will start at Hardisty, Alberta and go for 1,179

miles and ends at Steele City, Nebraska. This project is critical for energy security and economy of the United States. The Keystone Pipeline will also increase the production of crude oil in the whole country from producers in Montana and North Dakota. This will also allow Canadian and American crude oil producers access to reefing markets in the Midwestern part of the country. The pipeline will be able to transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day to the Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries. This will reduce the dependence of oil from other countries such as Venezuela.

Governor Dave Heineman approved TransCanada’s route in Nebraska. The route will not disturb the land and water resources. On March 1, 2013, the U.S. Department of State released a Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement that reaffirmed that there would be no impacts on resources on the proposed route. The Keystone Pipeline is projected to start in two years after the Presidential Permit is issued.

 

Cons:

-carry one of the dirtiest fuels: tar sands oil

-negatively impact ecosystems

-pollute water sources

-impact public health

-double imports of dirty sands oil into the U.S.

-tar sand oil production emits levels of CO2 three or four times higher than those of conventional oil

-equal to adding 5.6 million new cars to the U.S. roads

-cyanide and ammonia can work its way into water supplies from tailing ponds

-process of building pipeline will destroy forests

-probability of spills

 

Pros:

-reduce dependency on foreign oil

-building pipeline will create jobs and better the economy

-“fastest, most reliable infrastructure”

-taxes paid by TransCanada will provide counties with revenue to pay for project

-supports U.S manufacturing

-enhances energy security

-supports energy independence

 

 

References:

http://keystone-xl.com/five-reasons-why-keystone-xl-benefits-the-u-s/

denial response

http://www.foe.org/projects/climate-and-energy/tar-sands/keystone-xl-pipeline

 

The Obama Adminitration had a tough decision to make when in 2012, the U.S. carbon pollution from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades. As the economy continued to grow, the Obama Administration had to set new rules to cut our carbon pollution so we could protect the health of our children while continuing to move our economy.

The plan directs the EPA to work closely with states and industries to set rules for carbon pollution for new and old power plants. It also makes up 8 million dollars in loan guarantee authority to fossil fuel projects so they cn invest in innovative technologies. With this plan, it directs DOI to permit renewable projects such as wind and solar energy. The plan also expands the President’s Better Building Challenge which focuses on cutting waste from commercial, industrial, and homes. The plan also set a goal to reduce the carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons by 2030.

While cutting carbon pollution, the plan also prepares the country for the impacts of climate change and leads international efforts to address global climate change. It helps educate farmers, ranchers, and landowners about climate change and new technologies. It helps educate everyone about climate preparedness tools and information. They lead international efforts and initiatives with China, India, and other major emitting countries. It also provides financial support for new coal-fired power plants overseas.

 

The first exhibit we visited was the Conserve at Home. We got to learn about Watts, which is the rate at which electricity is used every instant something is on. For the example in the museum, they had a hair dryer and a mixer. We learned that you can consume a certain amount of watts wither quickly, over a short amount of time, or slowly over a long amount of time.

The next exhibit we went to was Catching the Wind which taught us about wind power and how that helps us generate electricity to our homes. Wind turbines catch the energy of the wind and turns into a form we can use for electricity. The machinery inside the nacelle converts the energy into electricity. The turbines are made up of many parts such as the blades, nacelle, the hub, low and high speed shaft, gearbox, electricity generator, yaw motors, electronic controller, and anemometers and wind vane. To install a wind turbine, first you must consider the location’s wind speed, duration over the course of the year, how much electricity a wind turbine is capable of generating, the cost, and how much time it will take for the turbine to make profit.

The third exhibit we visited was the Energized! where we learned about about self-repleneshing sources of energy that are cleaner and more reliable than burning fossil fuels. It focused on energy from the sun, wind, and moving water. Solar panels (photovoltaics) on the roofs of homes can transform sunlight into electricity. When the sunlight hits the panels, electrons get energized and start to move, which in turn create an electrical current. There was also a graph that showed the impact of fossil fuels, hydropower, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind energy. Solar energy has the potential of being our country’s energy source. Because the sunlight is inconsistent and takes large areas to harness a useful amount of energy, solar energy only consists of 1% of our electricity. However, it is the fastest growing power-generation technology in the world.