Keystone XL Pipeline Environmental Issues The biggest argument against the Keystone XL pipeline from the environmentalist groups refers to the origin of the Canadian oil. More than half of the Canadian oil production comes from bitumen oil sands. This type oil deposit is often inaccurately called tar oil, but the correct term is oil sands or bitumen oil sands. Oil sands are a mixture of sand, water, clay and special kind of oil called bitumen. Bitumen is oil that is too heavy or thick to flow or be pumped and it must be treated before it can be used by refineries. Greenhouse Gas Emissions The environmentalists oppose this type of production because “during tar sands oil production alone, levels of carbon dioxide emissions are three to four …show more content…
In the first year of the Keystone pipeline operation (2010-2011), twelve spills occurred. Plus, just last year this company had to solve three big pipeline leakages. Currently, the company is under investigation over safety allegations by the Canadian National Energy Board. TransCanada claims that the “Keystone XL will be the safest pipeline ever constructed in the United States.” The arguments concerning the safety of the pipelines were partly undermined by the rail accidents involving the trains carrying oil. In all these accidents were several deaths, for example, in Lac-Mégantic oil train accident in July 2013 died around 50 people. The supporters of the Keystone project argue “pipelines are, by far, the safest mode of transportation for crude oil and natural gas” , that transporting oil by rail carries more safety risks than the pipeline. However, pipeline spills are much more common and they cause big environmental damages, but they usually have not as many casualties. The authors of The Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement believe that TransCanada learned from the past spills and the project would “include processes, procedures, and systems to prevent, detect, and mitigate potential oil spills that could occur during construction and operation of the pipeline” …show more content…
The supporters argue, that Keystone XL would help the U.S. to reduce the oil imports from other, often unstable, regions. The U.S. imports decreased over the last several years. The most of oil is imported from Canada (33%), Saudi Arabia (17%), Mexico (11%) and Venezuela (10%). The Keystone project proponents claim, that it will help decrease the amount of oil imported from other often unstable regions. The opponents argue, that the oil transported by the pipeline wouldn’t be designated for the U.S. market, but instead used for exporting oil to China. Many analysts don’t agree with them. Others, however, say that it is a possibility. What more, they say that in the long-time projection the need for energy security will decline, because the U.S. will become more independent and even net-exporters.