The Keystone XL pipeline will allow the US to access safe, reliable, and affordable energy supplies from Canada, and reduce the need to import crude oil from other regions and countries in the world that are less stable. The Keystone XL pipeline has many benefits but is also controversial in some ways.

The Keystone XL pipeline project is a proposed 1,179 mile, 36-inch diameter crude oil pipeline that begins in Hardisty, Atla. Canada, and ending in Steele City, Nebraska. This pipeline is curtail for energy security in the US and the US economy. Not only will this pipeline allow us to import crude oil from Canada, but it will support the growth of crude oil production here in the US from producers in the Bakken region of Montana and North Dakota. This XL pipeline will be an extension to the existing Keystone pipeline that runs to Crushing, Oklahoma. Below is a map outline of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The pipeline will have the capacity to transport up to 830,000 battles of crude oil per day to the Gulf Coast and Midwest. This XL pipeline will reduce the US from depending on Venezuelan and Middle Eastern oil by about 40%. The pipeline is expected to contribute an estimated $3.4 billion in benefits to the US economy. The Keystone pipeline is the largest infrastructure project currently proposed in the US, costing $5.3 billion.

One of the benefits of the Keystone XL pipeline is the increase of jobs and economic benefits. The pipeline has the potential need for 9,000 workers for this shovel-ready infrastructure project. The US State Department’s Final Supplemental Environment Impact Statement found that the project would support more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide as well. The project is expected to create over seven million hours of labor, offering over 13,000 hours of labor. This new job is well-paid and has the opportunity to help thousands of American families who have been out of work or who need more sufficient funds. The project will provide jobs for welders, mechanics, electricians, pipe fitters, laborers, safety coordinators, heavy equipment operators and other construction related positions. Besides construction jobs, an estimated 7,000 US jobs are being supported just in manufacturing the steel pipe alone. According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute, the Keystone pipeline will add $172 billion American gross domestic product by 2015 and will create an additional 1.8 million person-years of employment in the US for the next 22 years.

The Keystone XL pipeline raises concern because of its environmental impact. TransCanada is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the pipeline along the proposed route. The pipelines are the most safest and efficient way of transporting fossil fuels, and TransCanada has one of the best safety records in the industry. Already in the US, there are more than 3.6 million miles of oil and natural gas pipelines that deliver 99.9998 % of their products safely and reliably every day. The Keystone XL is predicted to operate more safely  than the existing pipeline in the US. The XL pipeline technology will be the newest and most advanced pipeline built in the US, and TransCanada has agreed to incorporate 57 special safety conditions into the design and construction. This includes a higher number of remote-controlled shutoff valves, increased pipeline inspections, burying the pipe deeper in to the ground, and using thicker steel pipe at river crossings. Below is a before and after picture showing that the minimal impact of pipeline construction and the successful reconstruction of the land to its original condition.

Here is a link as well of a commercial used in promoting the safety of the XL pipeline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPotbBIjalgI2_MPYy84W3sVb6mPqJcDgo&v=z_qn8cc2_KA

The Keystone pipeline raises concern because of the environmental damage that may happen along the way. During the tar sands oil extraction process, large amounts of heat, water and chemicals are needed to separate the tarry substance (bitumen)  from sand, silt, and clay and flow up the pipeline. The water used in this process is so polluted after the process that the water must be stored in large pools, know as tailing pods. AS the heavy bitumen sinks to the bottom of these ponds, the toxic sludge, full of harmful substances like cyanide and ammonia, can work their way into neighboring clean water supplies. Deforestation is another result of the process because in order to dig up tar sands oil, thousands of trees are cut down and forests are destroyed.

Northern Alberta is the region where tar sands oil is extracted, but it is also home to many indigenous populations. Important parts of their cultural traditions and livelihood are coming under attack because of these operations. They have been forced off of their land, and living downstream from tailing ponds which increases their rate of rare cancers, which 1,200 residents have already died from. This will only get worse unless tar sands production is stopped.

Another disadvantage of the XL pipeline is the probability of spills. The XL pipeline will travel through six US states, and cross major rivers such as the Missouri River, Yellowstone river, and Red river. It will also cross through key sources of drinking and agricultural water such as the Ogallala Aquifer which supplies water to more than 1/4th of US irrigated land and drinking water to 2 million American’s. The likelihood of a pipeline spill is high and more threatening than conventional spills because tar sands oil sinks rather than floats, which makes cleanups more difficult and expensive.

Although these risks are severe, research has been going on for a long time regarding the Keystone XL pipeline. We have advanced technology and are able to catch errors fairly quickly and efficiently. I support the Keystone XL pipeline because it allowed the United States to access reliable and affordable energy supply and be able to produce it ourselves. The project will create millions of jobs and help our economy greatly.

Resources:

http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-project/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPotbBIjalgI2_MPYy84W3sVb6mPqJcDgo&v=z_qn8cc2_KA

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

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/