A Canadian company, Trans Canada, wants to begin a project on an oil pipeline that goes from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas. However, the Keystone Pipeline carries tar sands oil. This is the dirtiest fuel in the world because it can destroy ecosystem, pollute water sources and put people’s health in danger. There’s a great possibility the pipeline could import dirty tar sands in United States and Gulf Coast’s refineries. Trees intake carbon dioxide from the air, and digging up tar sands oil from the ground can annihilate forests. When tar spills, it is hard and expensive to clean up because it doesn’t float. Tar sand is made from bitumen: mixture of clay, sand, water, and oil. Bitumen is extracted from the sand through mining or from heating in situ. Situ produces higher emissions of greenhouse gases.

There are two ways bitumen can be converted into oil. The first one is adding hydrogen to increase the ratio (hydrogen-carbon) by reacting the bitumen with hydrogen rich compound. The second technique is separating bitumen into carbon and hydrogen rich products. Both processes require the removal of sulfur and nitrogen to strengthen the synthetic crude oil. Refining tar sands oil is dirtier because it produces sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide; this can contribute to higher emissions. These toxic wastes cause smogs, acid rain, and respiratory problems like asthma. United States is already dealing with carbon dioxide rising and now this will create more problems. What is the purpose of this? The health of our people should matter more than this pipeline.

The project can give at least 20,000 new jobs to United States, but it needs permission from Obama to complete the construction. During Mid-April 2014, Obama administrations halt the Presidential Permit.It’ll go through 16 counties in North and East Texas and 6 states (Texas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma). On March 2013, a pipeline carried at least 12,000 barrels of oil burst down residential streets. Although, there are controversy about the pipeline. There is a good benefit for United States. It can stop relying on oil from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria; increase supplies from Canada. In my opinion, this can create danger for the people in U.S.A especially with health issue. I thought it would be better to focus on how to decrease the usage of fossil fuels and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I do not want to breath in more polluted air. My question is what’s U.S number one priority for its citizens?

References:

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

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

http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/11/the-keystone-xl-pipeline