Keystone Pipeline

Policy Paper

Keystone XL Pipeline

The TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline is at the center of the environmental debate in North America. On one side it has been touted as a way of minimizing the U.S.’s dependency on foreign oil. On the other, it is viewed and symbolized as the very thing that is at the heart of destroying our natural environment. The pipeline would transport synthetic crude oil from Alberta Canada, and slowly move its way down the Midwest, all the way down to The Gulf Coast refineries in Texas. Over the years, the pipeline has become an allegory for environmental resistance. In opposition, it has become a symbol of economic stimulus and domestic production. Because of its point of contention, President Obama has deferred the further development of the pipeline until 2013. From now until then, federal agencies will determine if it’s in the interest of the nation. The Obama Administration should push forward with granting the permit to TransCanada to build the Keystone Pipeline, which will spur job creation and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

The Keystone Pipeline will span roughly around 1700 miles and produce an estimated 830,000 barrels a day. The proposed pipeline and pipeline extension would pass through three Canadian Provinces and nine US States. According to the TransCanda Corporation, the company applying to build the pipeline estimates the cost at a projected $13 billion dollars. They allege the pipeline “will play an important role in linking a secure and growing supply of Canadian crude oil with the largest refining markets in the United States, significantly improving North American security supply.” The Canadian National Board of Energy has already approved the pipeline in their country. The US on the other hand has decided to wait until comprehensive studies can be conducted by multiple federal agencies to decide whether or not the pipeline is in “national interest”. The major...