Full Answer
What is Keystone XL and why is it important?
What is Keystone XL? A planned 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline running from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe. It could carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day. It would mirror an existing pipe, also called Keystone, but would take a more direct route, boosting the flow of oil from Canada.
Who will pay for the Keystone XL pipeline?
The pipeline would be privately financed, with the cost of construction shared between TransCanada, an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, and other oil shippers. US-produced oil would also be transported by Keystone XL, albeit in smaller quantities than Canadian.
How many people would it take to maintain Keystone XL?
As for Keystone XL, it would need a mere 50 people to maintain it -- 35 employees and 15 contractors -- according to TransCanada. During construction, towns along the pipeline’s path are likely to see local booms in business, as workers spend money on lodging, food and entertainment.
How many construction jobs would the Keystone XL project create?
The Keystone XL project aims to complete the northern part of a pipeline bringing oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Reuters Of those 42,000 predicted jobs, just 3,900 would be full-time construction jobs for one year.
How does the Keystone Pipeline benefit the economy?
During construction in Canada, Keystone XL will put thousands of Canadians to work and provide numerous economic benefits for communities along the pipeline right-of-way. This will include millions of dollars in additional taxes to municipalities, as well as investments in local community initiatives.
What does the U.S. gain from the Keystone pipeline?
The Keystone XL pipeline, a privately funded project, would double the current capacity of oil transported in the U.S. per day, provide the U.S. with a more stable source of crude oil, and significantly increase employment and capital within America.
Who does the Keystone Pipeline serve?
The Keystone Pipeline System plays a key role in delivering Canadian and US crude oil supplies to markets around North America. It stretches 4,324 km (2,687 miles) from Alberta to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and the US Gulf Coast.
What are the benefits of the Keystone XL pipeline?
The Keystone XL Pipeline will contribute to energy security, create tens of thousands of high-quality employment and local contracting opportunities as well as provide a substantial economic benefit to local communities across Canada and the United States.
What is bad about the Keystone pipeline?
No matter how you look at it, Keystone XL would be bad for wildlife, especially endangered species. Many imperiled species live along the proposed pipeline's path and in areas where tar-sands oil is produced. If the pipeline were built, it would decimate habitat these species rely on.
What are the negatives of the Keystone pipeline?
10 Reasons Why the Keystone XL Pipeline is a Terrible IdeaIt won't create more jobs. ... The pipeline will run dangerously close to drinking water. ... Bad Water. ... Gas prices will rise. ... There will inevitably be spills. ... The Keystone XL is in the United States, not for the United States. ... Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change.More items...
Who shut down the Keystone pipeline?
Keystone XL was halted by owner TC Energy after U.S. President Joe Biden this year revoked a key permit needed for a U.S. stretch of the 1,200-mile project.
Who owns Keystone pipeline?
TC EnergyOwned by North American company TC Energy, the Keystone XL Pipeline “is the fourth phase of the Keystone Pipeline System,” an existing 2,687-mile pipeline whose Canadian portion “runs from Hardisty, Alberta, east into Manitoba where it turns south and crosses the border into North Dakota,” according to the company's ...
Why was the Keystone pipeline stopped?
Keystone XL supporters, including most of the oil industry, said the pipeline construction would have created much-needed construction jobs. "It's unfortunate that political obstructionism led to the termination of the Keystone XL pipeline.
What is the main purpose of the Keystone pipeline?
The Keystone XL pipeline extension, proposed by TC Energy (then TransCanada) in 2008, was initially designed to transport the planet's dirtiest fossil fuel, tar sands oil, to market—and fast.
Does the US need the Keystone pipeline?
Ramped up domestic oil production and alternative supply routes have lessened the U.S.'s need for the hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil that would have been pumped daily through the now-cancelled Keystone XL pipeline, some industry experts say.
Why is Keystone XL bad?
The pipeline passes through an active earthquake zone. One bad spill could permanently poison the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides drinking water to millions of people, and 30 percent of our irrigation.
Is Keystone pipeline good?
Here is another reason, perhaps the best reason of all: It doesn't do us any good. China, yes. The Koch Brothers (who own the refining capacity that would be used), yes. Us, no.
What is Keystone XL pipeline?
Keystone XL is an expansion of an existing pipeline, called Keystone, that carries Canadian crude into the U.S. It was first proposed in July 2008 by TC Energy Corp. , then known as TransCanada Corp., a pipeline company based in Calgary, Alberta, and ConocoPhillips , which was a joint owner until 2009.
How many leaks have occurred in the Keystone pipeline?
Environment: So here is the truth. Oil pipelines LEAK. Take for example the brand new Keystone (phase 1,2,3) pipeline built in 2014. It has had 4 leaks between 2016 and 2019. One of those leaks was 408,000 gallons. Yikes! Keystone Pipeline - Wikipedia
Why is Canada so good at pipelines?
Canada benefits as there is less danger of spills with the pipeline than filling thousands of rail tankers daily…Plus the costs for transport are again reduced with a constant flow rather than being dependent on the rails and trains…
How safe was the oil pipeline?
Everyone. The pipeline is the safest method to transport the oil in question. It was being constructed in a manner to be as “green “ as practicable. The pumps were solar or wind powered. This would grow that industry as well as carbon fuels. There was a large manufacturing base, as well as construction workers, many union positions that were involved in the construction. The increase in oil to the refinerys aided the US to be energy independent. This means the state department had more leverage in dealing with oil producing countries many run by dictators or undemocratic, in coming to agreements. This permotes peace.
When a power plant comes on line, is it the least efficient?
The same applies to a power plant when it goes from idle to powering-up. This is when the available wind stops or slows considerably based on relative production of power and amount of wind. When power plant comes on-line it is the least efficient. It is also when it is most critical to have available.
Why is Keystone XL being opposed?
Opposition to Keystone XL centers on the devastating environmental consequences of the project. The pipeline has faced years of sustained protests from environmental activists and organizations; Indigenous communities; religious leaders; and the farmers, ranchers, and business owners along its proposed route. One such protest, a historic act of civil disobedience outside the White House in August 2011, resulted in the arrest of more than 1,200 demonstrators. More than 90 leading scientists and economists have opposed the project, in addition to unions and world leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former president Jimmy Carter (together, these and other Nobel laureates have written letters against the project). In 2014, more than two million comments urging a rejection of the pipeline were submitted to the State Department during a 30-day public comment period.
What would happen if Keystone XL was fully realized?
A fully realized Keystone XL would lead to more mining of that “nasty stuff” by accelerating the pace at which it’s produced and transported. (Indeed, Keystone XL was viewed as a necessary ingredient in the oil industry’s plans to triple tar sands production by 2030.)
How many times has the Keystone pipeline leaked?
Since it first went into operation in 2010, TC Energy’s original Keystone Pipeline System has leaked more than a dozen times; one incident in North Dakota sent a 60-foot, 21,000-gallon geyser of tar sands oil spewing into the air.
What is the Keystone pipeline?
The Keystone XL pipeline extension, proposed by TC Energy (then TransCanada) in 2008, was initially designed to transport the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel, tar sands oil, to market—and fast. As an expansion of the company’s existing Keystone Pipeline System, which has been operating since 2010 (and continues to send Canadian tar sands crude oil from Alberta to various processing hubs in the middle of the United States), the pipeline promised to dramatically increase capacity to process the 168 billion barrels of crude oil locked up under Canada’s boreal forest. It was expected to transport 830,000 barrels of Alberta tar sands oil per day to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
How much oil would be transported by Keystone XL?
To be precise, it would transport 830,000 barrels of Alber ta tar sands oil per day to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Some 3 million miles of oil and gas pipelines already run through our country. But Keystone XL wouldn’t be your average pipeline, and tar sand oil isn’t your average crude.
How many jobs will KXL create?
When TC Energy said the pipeline would create nearly 119,000 jobs, a State Department report instead concluded the project would require fewer than 2,000 two-year construction jobs and that the number of full-time, permanent jobs would hover around 35 after construction.
When will Keystone XL be cancelled?
January 20, 2021 Melissa Denchak. UPDATE: June 9, 2021: TC Energy announced that it is canceling the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, putting an end to a fossil fuel project that endangered waterways, communities, and the climate, which President Biden denied a key permit for on his first day in office.
How many miles is Keystone XL?
What is Keystone XL? A planned 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline running from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would join an existing pipe. It could carry 830,000 barrels of oil each day.
Did Biden cancel the Keystone pipeline?
US President Joe Biden has cancelled permits for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office. The pipeline had been projected to carry oil nearly 1,200 miles (1,900km) from the Canadian province of Alberta down to Nebraska, to join an existing pipeline. Environmentalists and Native American groups have fought ...
Is the Keystone pipeline privately funded?
The pipeline was set to be privately financed, with the cost of construction shared between TransCanada, an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, and other oil shippers. US-produced oil would also be transported by Keystone XL, albeit in smaller quantities than Canadian.
How far is Keystone XL pipeline?
This portion would transport oil over 435 miles through 36" pipe running from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur, Texas. The second segment, called the Keystone XL, would run 1,179 miles from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska.
How many miles of pipe is the Keystone pipeline?
Fast Facts on the Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline already exists. In fact, the Keystone Mainline is 1,353 miles of 30" pipe which extends from Hardisty, Alberta to refineries in Wood River and Peoria, Illinois. This segment has been in service since June 2010.
When did the Senate vote against the Keystone pipeline?
On November 19, 2014, the U.S. Senate voted against the passage of the bill which would allow the Keystone XL Pipeline to proceed. The vote was one shy of passage at 59-41.
Is Keystone pipeline good for the economy?
In summary, Keystone is good for the economy, good for U.S. energy independence, and good for the American consumer.
Is the Keystone pipeline still in service?
The Keystone Pipeline already exists. In fact, the Keystone Mainline is 1,353 miles of 30" pipe which extends from Hardisty, Alberta to refineries in Wood River and Peoria, Illinois. This segment has been in service since June 2010. The Cushing Extension is 298 miles of 36" pipe which runs from Steele City, Nebraska to crude oil terminals and tank farms in Cushing, Oklahoma. This portion has been flowing since February 2011. Since these are already in service, what's the problem with this project? We'll get to that in a moment.
Where does Keystone XL pipeline go?
What gets exported. The Keystone XL pipeline will transport crude oil from Alberta, Canada to Nebraska. The oil will then flow through another pipeline to Gulf Coast refineries, where it will be refined into petroleum products like gasoline.
Why is the Keystone pipeline important?
The Keystone XL pipeline was designed to transport oil to the Gulf Coast because refineries in the region are already equipped to process heavier crude oils, like those found in Canada’s Alberta province. The same kind of crude oil comes to the region from Latin America. If the pipeline transfers as much crude oil to the Gulf Coast as ...
Does the Gillibrand pipeline affect gas prices?
The U.S. State Department did not respond to most of Gillibrand’s claim but did comment on how the pipeline could affect gas prices. "As the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement makes clear, gas prices throughout the United States are primarily driven by global market factors," a spokesperson said.
Does Keystone XL have oil?
The Keystone XL pipeline "doesn’t even have any oil for America.". The Keystone Steele City pumping station in Nebraska. The Keystone XL pipeline is supposed to connect to the station / Credit: Associated Press, 2015.
