The Keystone XL Pipeline is a massive project that is a possible 1,180 mile long pipeline that links oil sands from Alberta to Nebraska. There in Nebraska, the pipeline would connect with an existing pipeline that would continue the transportation of oil down into Texas. This pipeline is estimated to transport around 830,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis. This pipeline has proven to be a highly disputed project because of the massive construction and potential pollution that would go on in the creating of it.
A few of the pros that may come with the construction of the XL pipeline include an increased supply of oil from Canada, the landlocked Alberta in particular, a reduced dependency from Middle Eastern oil, making for an overall quicker and cheaper transportation of large amounts of oil, and it would create a huge amount of jobs for both America and Canada. With this pipeline, Canada would be able to almost double their oil exportation to the U.S., therefore nearly doubling their profit from the oil extraction. With more oil being produced and transported domestically, the U.S. would be able to become less dependent on the Middle East for their oil which will save the country, and its citizens, money in the long run.
On the other hand, there are many cons that come with the production of this pipeline. The main cons are an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, a possible decrease in jobs created, and a large amount of stress put on the environment. The Keystone pipeline is estimated to produce enough carbon and other greenhouse emissions that we could possibly raise the earth’s temperature by around 2 degrees celsius. While the creation of the pipeline could potentially create a large amount of jobs for hard working Americans, it has shown that in the past few years, major oil and energy companies have actually been cutting down on the number of people they have employed by around 11,000 people. Along with a lack of jobs created, the Keystone pipeline will have a huge environmental strain.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078
http://keystone-xl.com/five-reasons-why-keystone-xl-benefits-the-u-s/