In Canada, the first phase of Keystone involved the conversion of approximately 864 kilometres (537mi) of existing 36-inch (910mm) natural gas pipeline in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to crude oil pipeline service. Finally, there are hardly any requirements on how these pipelines should be constructed and maintained to ensure safety. [231] For much of late 2017, the Keystone pipeline operated at reduced pressure during remediation efforts. [31]:147, The project was first proposed in 2005 by the Calgary, Alberta-based TransCanada Corporation,[32] and was approved by Canada's National Energy Board in 2007. Leading climate scientist and former NASA researcher James Hansen has warned that fully exploiting Canadas tar sands reserves by moving forward with these projects would mean game over for our climate. [170] Until Canadian crude oil accesses international prices like LLS or Maya crude oil by "getting to tidewater" (south to the U.S. Gulf ports via Keystone XL for example, west to the BC Pacific coast via the proposed Northern Gateway line to ports at Kitimat, BC or north via the northern hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, on the Beaufort Sea),[174] the Alberta government is losing from $430 billion in tax and royalty revenues as the primary product of the oil sands, Western Canadian Select (WCS), the bitumen crude oil basket, is discounted so heavily against West Texas Intermediate (WTI) while Maya crude oil, a similar product close to tidewater, is reaching peak prices. [105] The Canadian section involves approximately 864 kilometres (537mi) of pipeline converted from the Canadian Mainline natural gas pipeline and 373 kilometres (232mi) of new pipeline, pump stations and terminal facilities at Hardisty, Alberta. Five years ago, a pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into a Michigan riverand were still cleaning it up. For example, in 2020, Teck Resources withdrew its 10-year application to build the largest tar sands mine in history, citing growing concern surrounding climate change in global markets. [232][233] The pipeline was immediately shut down,[234] and TransCanada began using the pipe again 12 days after the leak. [66][67][68] Financial commitment towards completion of the pipeline was weakened by a number of technological factors as well. [59], On February 24, 2015, President Obama vetoed a bill that approved the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, saying that the decision of approval should rest with the Executive Branch. [52], In September 2011, Cornell ILR Global Labor Institute released the results of the GLI Keystone XL Report, which evaluated the pipeline's impact on employment, the environment, energy independence, the economy, and other critical areas. Also Read: Here Are 30+ Fun Anteater Facts For Kids. [267], An Angus Reid Institute poll, published on March 9, 2017, showed that 48% of respondents across Canada supported the Keystone XL revival, while 33% opposed it, and 20% were uncertain. 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. What Are The 20+ Reindeer Facts For Kids? This story was originally published on April 7, 2017, and has been updated with new information and links. Fact: The main reason why TransCanada is pulling out every single card on this project is that its the only way for this company to explore overseas markets. In reality, Keystone XL will create a limited number of jobs that will mostly be non-local and temporary. [165] According to the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), the pipeline will only create 35 permanent jobs.[166][167]. [203], On November 30, 2011, a group of Republican senators introduced legislation aimed at forcing the Obama administration to make a decision within 60days. The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC EnergyAs of March 2020, the Government of Alberta. They included one potential alternative route in Nebraska that would have avoided the entire Sandhills region and Ogallala Aquifer and six alternatives that would have reduced pipeline mileage crossing the Sandhills or the aquifer. Her land was seized by eminent domain. Good Luck Persuading These Nebraskans, The Dirty Fight Over Canadian Tar Sands Oil, 10 Threats from the Canadian Tar Sands Industry, The Dakota Access Pipeline Fight Fuels Battles Across the Country, Still No Approved Route for KXL in Nebraska, Meet Jane Kleeb: One of Nebraskas First and Fiercest KXL Opponents, Why We Must Stop the Flow of Tar Sands Oil, Win! [221], University of Nebraska professor John Stansbury conducted an independent analysis which provides more detail on the potential risks for the Ogallala Aquifer. Also Read: What Are The 20+ Reindeer Facts For Kids? In February 2011, the Keystone-Cushing extension (Phase II) was completed running 468 kilometres (291mi) from Steele City to a tank farm in Cushing, Oklahoma. In Alberta, support was at 77%, and in Quebec at 36%. [250], In September 2011, Joe Oliver, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, sharply criticized opponents of oil sands development in a speech to the Canadian Club of Toronto, arguing that oil sands account for about 0.1% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, coal power plants powered in the U.S. generate almost 40 times more greenhouse-gas emissions than Canada's oil sands and California bitumen is more GHG-intensive than the oil sands. [49] A 9,700 barrels (1,540m3) leak occurred in Marshall County, South Dakota in November 2017. The oil leak is the largest seen from the Keystone pipeline in the state. [84][85], In October 2019, the State Department solicited comments on its new draft supplemental environmental impact statement. [72][73] The State Department issued a new Record of Decision on the same factual record as before but now finding that granting the permit to be in the national interest. This is a debate about whether you want to get your oil from Canada or Venezuela or Nigeria. [68] The pollsters said that the support for the Keystone pipeline project by provincial NDP government and the federal Liberal government under Trudeau had a positive impact on Canadians' attitudes of the project. Republicans delayed delivering the bill over the Presidents Day holiday weekend to ensure Congress would be in session if the president were to veto the bill. President Obama's recent rejection [183], Bill McKibben, environmental and global warming activist and founder of 350.org, the group that organized the 2009 international protestsdescribed by CNN as "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history"led the opposition to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Keystone pipeline was never built, so Biden's canceling it didn't make the U.S. more reliant on Russian oil. [28], The U.S. portion of the Keystone Pipeline included 1,744 kilometres (1,084mi) of new, 30-inch-diameter (760mm) pipeline in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. On his fourth day in office, Trump signed an executive order to allow Keystone XL to move forward. From the refineries, the oil would be sent chiefly overseasnot to gasoline pumps in the United States. The oil in the Lac-Mgantic rail cars came from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, an area that would be served by the Keystone expansion. Fact: While American Petroleum Institute has stated that this project will create jobs for over half a million American people, the truth is these are all false claims. [40] Later that year, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission granted a permit to proceed. [41] and in March 2010, the National Energy Board approved the project. We are a sovereign nation, and we are not being treated as such. There have been nearly 12 to 15 spills accidents in the Midwest pipeline, which has led to the wastage of thousands of gallons of oil in these spills. Frontline Indigenous youth, who have been standing up against destructive oil pipelines for years, are imploring President Biden to join them in protecting their water, lands, and cultures. [109][200] The Ogallala Aquifer spans eight states, provides drinking water for two million people, and supports $20 billion in agriculture. [151], Proponents for the Keystone XL pipeline argue that it would allow the U.S. to increase its energy security and reduce its dependence on foreign oil. About 588,000 gallons of tar sands crude was released. Additionally, it will cause havoc on labor organizations and environmentalists looking to address global climate change. The Canadian portion of the pipeline runs from Hardisty, AB, east through Manitoba where it turns south and crosses the border into North Dakota. "[234], On October 31, 2019, a rupture occurred near Edinburg, North Dakota, spilling an estimated 9,120 barrels (1,450m3)[238] where the 45,000 US gallons (170m3) that were not recovered from the 0.5 acre containment have spread contaminating 5 acres. Even as Trump and TC Energy tried to revive the pipeline, polls showed that a majority of Americans opposed it. [12][13], TransCanada Keystone Pipeline GP Ltd,[14] abbreviated here as Keystone, operates four phases of the project. [143] Project opponents panned the study on its release, calling it a "deeply flawed analysis". In may of 2019, the Sioux Nation held their own public hearing for native, and non-native people to voice their concerns about the Keystone Pipeline. 2022. "[118] He went on to state that "approving this project would have undercut [the United States'] global leadership" on climate change. In November 2017, the Nebraska Public Service Commission approved (32) the construction of the pipeline, albeit through an alternative route which is longer, but deemed to have the least environmental impact compared to two other routes that were considered. On March 2, 2014, approximately 10001200 protesters marched from Georgetown University to the White House to stage a protest against the Keystone Pipeline. US oil prices rose about 4% the following day following news of the leak and shutdown. [157] Diane Francis has argued that much of the opposition to the oil sands actually comes from foreign countries such as Nigeria, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia, all of whom supply oil to the United States and who could be affected if the price of oil drops due to the new availability of oil from the pipeline. [5] Pipelines in the Keystone Pipeline System go through stress tests prior to use. In 2010 Glen Perry, a petroleum engineer for Adira Energy, warned that including the Alberta Clipper pipeline owned by TransCanada's competitor Enbridge, there is an extensive overcapacity of oil pipelines from Canada. 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[4][5], In January 2014, the U.S. Department of State's (DoS) January 2014 "Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement" (SEIS) said that, "because of broader market dynamics and options for crude oil transport in the North American logistics system, the upstream and downstream activities are unlikely to be substantially different whether or not the proposed Project is constructed". In 2013, the first two phases had the capacity to deliver up to 590,000 barrels (94,000m3) per day of oil into the Midwest refineries. As per the analysis report conducted by Cornell Universitys Global Labor Institute, these job claims are nothing but mere fabrications. However, the reports conducted by the authorities were a complete sham, and there was nothing reasonable in them. Tar sands oil is thicker, more acidic, and more corrosive than lighter conventional crude, and this ups the likelihood that a pipeline carrying it will leak. And as far as existing pipelines we have 185 operational oil lines. [246][247] [35] [256] and that over the proposed 50-year timeline of the pipeline, this could mean releasing as much as "1.37 billion more tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere". [152][153] TransCanada CEO Russ Girling has argued that "the U.S. needs 10 million barrels a day of imported oil" and the debate over the proposed pipeline "is not a debate of oil versus alternative energy. [169], In 2013, United States Democrats were concerned that Keystone XL would not provide petroleum products for domestic use, but simply facilitate getting Alberta oil sands products to American coastal ports on the Gulf of Mexico for export to China and other countries. In the two years leading up to the November 2014 midterm elections, the fossil fuel industry spent more than $721 million to court allies in Congress. [180] Canadian journalist Diana Furchtgott-Roth commented: "If this oil shipment had been carried through pipelines, instead of rail, families in Lac-Mgantic would not be grieving for lost loved ones today, and oil would not be polluting Lac Mgantic and the Chaudire River. [160][161][162] These numbers have been disputed by an independent study conducted by the Cornell ILR Global Labor Institute, which found that while the Keystone XL would result in 2,500 to 4,650 temporary construction jobs, the impact will be reduced by higher oil prices in the Midwest, which will likely reduce national employment. The application was granted consideration. On March 17, 2008, during the final year of the Presidency of George W. Bush, the United States Department of State issued a Presidential Permit authorizing the construction, maintenance and operation of facilities at the United States and Canada border. The same poll found the pipeline favored by majorities of men (69%), women (61%), Democrats (51%), Republicans (82%), independents (64%), as well as by those in every division of age, education, economic status, and geographic region. However, this project is seeing protests by environmentalists and American due to its severe consequences on environmental safety, public health, jobs, and energy security. From here, it will be sent to different overseas markets. Construction took another two years. Hid Contractor's Ties to Keystone XL Pipeline Company", "Americans should be thankful for Canada", "The U.S. and Canada: we used to be friends", "Canada's US ambassador pushes for Keystone XL decision", "Rosebud Sioux Tribe Calls House Keystone XL Passage an 'Act of War,' Vows Legal Action", "U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce: The Keystone XL Pipeline", "Say Yes To Building The Keystone Oil Pipeline", The possible loss of Venezuelan heavy crude oil imports underscores the strategic importance of the Keystone XL pipeline, "TransCanada: Oil Sands Exports Will Go To Asia If Blocked In US", The Impact of Developing the Keystone XL Pipeline Project on Business Activity in the US: An Analysis Including State-by-State Construction Effects and an Assessment of the Potential Benefits of a More Stable Source of Domestic Supply, "Keystone XL Jobs Bewilder Media. 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