Controversy Surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline To build or not to build, this choice will impact the relationship between the US and Canada and determine the level of dependence the US will have on countries that are not so friendly. “TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline would transport oil sands crude from Canada and shale oil produced in North Dakota and Montana to a market hub in Nebraska for delivery to Gulf Coast refineries. The pipeline would consist of 875 miles of 36-inch pipe with the capacity to transport 830,000 barrels per day” (Parfomak, Pirog, Luther and Vann 4). The construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline would strengthen the United States economy, provide energy security and have minimal environmental impact. “The Keystone XL project would create $1.1 trillion in private capital investment at no …show more content…
The US is going to use some source of energy and that will always have some negative effects on the environment. The alternative sources for the energy we need have negative effects on the environment as well. “In 2011 U.S. coal-fired power plants emitted nearly two billion metric tons of greenhouse gases -- roughly eight times the amount produced by mining, refining and burning tar sands”(Biello). Canada is going to develop a pipeline system to export oil whether it’s to the US or other countries, like China, that are trying to get access to this resource. With the proposed Keystone XL pipeline there are many environmental and safety standards that would be enforced to ensure that concerns such as oil leaks are detected, fixed and cleaned up properly and quickly. If the US government fails to approve the Keystone XL pipeline then they will have no control over enforcing the environmental safety standards for the transportation of Canada’s oil to the other countries that want to purchase
For centuries the United States has been a beacon of hope for environmentalism, and it is imperative for our country that we preserve this identity. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or ANWR is in the secluded northeastern corner of Alaska and could contain large reserves of oil in the Prudhoe Bay region. The question of whether or not to drill for oil has been a controversial topic in American politics for decades, though the evidence will show that drilling for oil is a mistake for this country. This is because it will devastate and destroy the fragile environment. Additionally, drilling in Prudhoe Bay will not solve our oil problems.
Canada should not allow The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline to go through as it poses to many environmental and ecological risks. Pristine areas across central and northern BC, including the Great Bear Rainforest, are under threat if the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline is put into service. In the end, the concerns over the BC pipeline outweigh the possible benefits the pipeline may result in. The Canadian oil and gas company Enbridge, proposed the Northern Gateway project as a solution to transport 525,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Everyone has at least seen or heard of an argument or dispute involving the environment. Whether it was from your teacher, the news or something on the internet that you glanced at then moved on to watch more cat videos, you still noticed it. In today’s time, these feuds are highly controversial. One of the more recent conflicts is the Keystone XL Pipeline. The pipeline is essentially the fourth step of the Keystone Pipeline System.
In my opinion I am against the pipeline. The negative effects out way the positives of the pipeline. To begin with, there isn't a real need for the pipeline, so why spend billions of dollars on a pipeline that isn't needed. The cost of the pipeline is extremely high whereas the pipeline might not actually be worth that much to the residents here. There would be taxes and fees that the residents and the business owners would have to pay to pay for the pipeline that could be avoided.
The environmental argument is coming from a clash over the fact they are basically stripping the canadian boreal forest, the path of the pipeline extends across major aquifers, and pipelines tend to leak and destroy surrounding environments. In addition ccording to The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions State, “epartment’s draft SEIS found that oil from the Canadian oil sands is 17 percent more carbon-intensive than the average oil consumed in the United States... It is estimated that the U.S. greenhouse gas footprint would increase by 3 million to 21 million metric tons per year, or around 0.04 percent to 0.3 percent of the 2010 levels, if Keystone is built. Fortunately on November 6, 2015, President Barack Obama’s administration rejected the Keystone Pipeline XL after 7 years of dispute. As mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Obama stated “the project would not have lowered gas prices, improved energy security or made a meaningful long-term contribution to the economy
It’s important for the United States to produce and export oil because if we don’t, the Middle East and Russia will capitalize on the product and they will become stronger and richer countries. One of the ways that the United States can be an economically strong country is to reopen the Keystone pipeline and also allow states to have the power to generate their own oil. The opposition believes that pipelines have posed a huge risk to wildlife and the surrounding environment. The Key Stone pipeline has too many hurdles to go through; therefore, wildlife activists are against this project.
Another issue among the Keystone pipeline is the health and safety issues that it provides through its existence. Thoreau mentions in his essay that, “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man,” (Thoreau, 956) which alludes to the fact that humans will die if they live with harmful effects over the years. The activists of the pipeline have mentioned multiple times to the government that the water supply will be contaminated. This is shown when an article writes, “The proposed pipeline route passes through the Ogallala Aquifer... A spill in this important body of water would contaminate drinking water and lead to serious health concerns and complications,” (All Risk, No Reward) which explains why so many activists are protesting this build.
Petro-Canada’s Impact on the Canadian Economy Throughout the 1970s, economic relationships and dynamics worldwide in the energy economy experienced rapid changes, resulting in the incredibly volatile and unstable oil price climate. The issue with energy became a widely debated topic between Trudeau’s liberal government and its critics. During these years, the petroleum industry in Canada was dominated by foreign control, which was mostly American.
Over the last decade or so improvements in oil welling have led to a growth in different types of oil mining that have re-sparked the environmental debate over oil. These range from oil sands in Canada, Fracking in the United States, and Deep Ocean drilling off the coast of Brazil. This of course has caused a rush to extract these new resources especially with the growing political argument of energy independence and political tensions in the Middle East. This issue is especially important for Pennsylvanians as Fracking is a viable option in the State that has two sides both with logical positions and laws that differ from other states that have similar initiatives. To begin Fracking is a process that mixes chemicals with water and sand injects
“Benefits of Governmental Compromise Regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline” Nations all have unique governments and differences necessary for demonstrating successful leadership. Every country needs different assistance from their leadership, such as Rio requiring infrastructure or Somalia lacking political power. Some governments concern themselves with their politicians’ well-being more so than the people they lead, which creates a relevant problem in America. The United States Government can easily forget about Native American Reservations, or even ignore the people living on them. Recently, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has worked on the Dakota Access Pipeline project, which would cross over Native American ancestral lands,
Building the pipeline while many people are opposed to it is like lighting a candle inside while it’s already sunny outside, not only is the government gonna waste resources they're not looking for another solution to help the economy. First of all it's never right for someone to take or build on someone's property, the Natives and Aboriginals were most likely the first to find and live on North America the longest. The government should get their consent first before we build on their land, we should always keep their ideas in mind. Secondly like Aboriginals and many other people we are all worried about the environment we should always focus on the environment more than the economy, we live on earth and we should always take care of it.
TAPS transports 17% of the United State’s domestic petroleum. If the pipeline were to stop, “A loss of that production would increase prices by at least 10 to 16 percent” (Balan). This is very important, as the majority of the American population is in constant need of these resources. A shift this dramatic in the economy would lead to outrage and possible changes in economic inflation. All in all, the Trans Alaska pipeline has provided for a great number of people and has not failed to let them down.
Researchers have “requested data from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas, all states heavily involved in the recent surge of oil and gas drilling, about complaints related to hydraulic fracking for oil and gas” for their research on fracking (Dechert). The research collected was shocking, over 2,000 complaints in Texas alone and several cases on well water contamination within the states mentioned in Decherd’s article. People need to be alerted about how real fracking is and the damages it is doing. These complaints and cases should be a wakeup call to the world and say that we should put it to a
Until a complete substitution for crude oil is found, building the ultra-safe Keystone XL Pipeline makes the most logical sense. In the end, the goal is to help our nation by being both environmentally friendly but yet, construct a feasible and futuristic pipeline that will benefit us all in the years
What do you do when you run out of gas in your car? Will you stop using your car? or Will you go to the gas station and refill your tank? Natural gas that has been pumped up from fracking nearly fuels 40% of the U.S. energy consumption. Without fracking, the price of gas would have a drastic raise from $3.25 to $11 per gallon, so consumers would have to pay about $130 or more to refill their gas tank.