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The Pros And Cons Of The Keystone Pipeline

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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. It’s going to be used to transport oil to the United States from Canada. This topic is highly controversial because of the negative impacts it causes on the environment, the political issues, and economic benefits.
According to “The Keystone XL Pipeline: Improper Reliance on Weak Conservation Measures for Endangered …show more content…

According to “The Keystone XL Pipeline: Improper Reliance on Weak Conservation Measures for Endangered Species Protection,” “KXL’s impacts on listed species include increased human interaction; habitat fragmentation, alteration, and loss; reduced breeding success due to noise and vibration; and the creation of barriers to movement” (Burd 281). The areas that the pipeline effects are massive. “In total, KXL will disturb roughly 16,300 acres” (Burd 281). During the construction process of the pipeline, there’s going to be a lot of ground disturbance. It’s noted that this disturbance is going to affect the endangered American burying beetle. In addition to the ground disturbance, the electrical lines used to power the pumping stations will also affect species around it. According to “The Keystone XL Pipeline: Improper Reliance on Weak Conservation Measures for Endangered Species Protection,” “The 378 miles of new power lines KXL would require are particularly deleterious to the listed and candidate avian species—the interior least tern, piping plover, whooping crane, Sprague’s pipit, and greater sage-grouse” (Burd 282). The power lines possess a collision risk to these avian species. Lastly, the Keystone XL Pipeline has a significant impact if there’s an oil spill or leak. Tar sands oil is more acidic which can cause the deterioration of the …show more content…

Because of the United States dependency on oil, having the pipeline would help fulfill its oil-hungry needs. In addition, it comes from an ally and neighbor, Canada, rather than more turbulent places like the Middle East. This will cause an increase in national security because we won’t be as dependent on OPEC if we have another way to get oil. One of the arguments that the people who want the pipeline is that it will decrease gasoline prices. However, that isn’t true. Although, the thousands of jobs created for the construction and management of the pipeline is true. The increase in tax revenue to the local governments around the Keystone XL Pipeline is also a

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The Keystone XL Pipeline is a transmitter for Canadian oil to be sold across the world. Land and nearly all risks lie within the U.S. yet there is no significant benefit to the economy. There is too little to gain and too much to economically risk by allowing the construction of the XL

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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

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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.

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“Primarily, environmental groups and affected communities along the route object to the project” (Keystone 292). The biggest concern with the Keystone XL Pipeline would be a spill in an environmentally sensitive area, such as the sand hills in Nebraska. Other examples of sensitive areas would be wetlands, flowing streams and rivers, and areas near water intake for aquifers. The proposed pipeline is believed to be a safer way to transport oil in contrast to truck or train, but a break in the pipeline can lead to water contamination in the Ogallala aquifer. The Ogallala aquifer encompasses nearly all of the state of Nebraska.

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First, there is often a misunderstanding of what crude oil is used for, “Crude oil is not exclusively used to produce gasoline. Crude oil is used to produce thousands of products that we use every day, not just gasoline and diesel. Crude oil feedstock is used to create the plastics that encase our cell phones and televisions, asphalt for our roads and even the latex gloves doctors use when delivering a baby. ”(Myths & Facts-TC) One of the production company’s executives criticized the misinformed by saying, “The people suggesting that the oil Keystone XL will transport will be used to exclusively to make gasoline or diesel is simply a guess and they know that.”

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This highly debated topic has received widespread media coverage as more than 300 native tribes and numerous environmentalist groups have shown support for the Rock Sioux Tribe in 40 different states (Yubanet). Construction for the Dakota Access Pipeline should be permanently halted due to its imminent contamination of clean water, it’s disrespect to tribal land, and its causation of unnecessary violence towards protesters. Consequently, when reviewing the

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It would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. The project developer, Dakota Access, says the pipeline would help the U.S. become less dependent on importing energy from precarious regions throughout the world. They also say a pipeline is the safest, most cost effective, and environmentally responsible way to transport crude oil. Although some view this pipeline as an asset, and something that would bring in millions of dollars along with thousands of jobs, many neglect to perceive the blatant racism involved in this act. The pipeline would be dug under the Missouri River, potentially affecting the Standing Rock Sioux Indians drinking water supply and seventeen million Americans.

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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.

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Drilling in Alaska “ In reality drilling is the slowest, dirtiest, and most expensive way to solve our energy crisis”-Lois Capps. This quote explains how there different ways to solve our problems and drilling is not the right way to solve this. In addition to costing a lot of money, it would also destroy animal habitats.

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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

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The Dakota Access Pipeline is a mile-long from Northwestern North Dakota to Illinois. This pipeline affects drinking water for everyone and invades reservation and treaty land owned by the Native Americans. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe, when informed about the pipeline, declared the tribe objected to the pipe construction. The Standing Rock Sioux begin to fight a “legal battle against the pipeline” and soon a “protest diverge” In “An Indian Protest for Everyone” by David Treuer builds an argument that Native Americans have developed a new type of protest when gathering at Standing Rock.

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On a major issue considered top priority to environmental groups, the Keystone Pipeline, Clinton suspiciously gave a vague answer when asked her opinion on the conflict. The issue is whether the pipeline, which would transport raw tar sands oil from Canada to Texas, should be built or not. To the environmental groups this is a big deal, because the pipeline is an unconventional energy source requiring far more fuel, water and carbon emissions to extract than conventional oil and gas. Pros of the Keystone Pipeline would be its ability to create jobs and contribute billions of dollars to the economy. Clearly this is a big issue on the presidential debates for the upcoming election and an opinion on this subject could make or break a vote for some citizens.

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Some individuals believe that using the wilderness for drilling of oil purposes will solve the US and its dependency on foreign oil. Through this article, Democratic congressman Edward J. Markey, alongside Representative Nancy Johnson, discuss the reasons for which they want to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or the ANWR, and other wilderness reserves from being developed on and industrialized. This wildlife reserve has been labeled as being one of the most magnificent reserves found in America. Unfortunately, people want to encroach on this territory and use it to increase the nation’s oil and gas development. This is not the first time that the reserve has been threatened but it is the most extreme.

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“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,

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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.

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