Keystone Pipeline
Keystone Pipeline
Neeraj Prasad
The Keystone Pipeline represents the worst environmental outcome for not only the United States, but for the world. A possible pipeline will hurt the economy, increase unemployment rate, affect the health of millions of people, and boost greenhouse gas emissions, speeding up the rate of global warming. The project creates 1179 miles pipeline underground in replacement of the existing shorter one to transport crude oil from Tar Sands in Canada to refineries across the United States. The project plan has already been rejected once by President Obama, but TransCanada, the pipeline company, has filed another application with slightly different terms for the same idea.
The existing shorter pipeline transporting oil has had twelve leaks in its one year. A longer pipeline raises serious concerns for environmentalists. In the state of Nebraska, the Ogallala Aquifer supplies water for agricultural purposes and to more than two million people. If a minor oil spill occurs in that area, ground water and the aquifers would be contaminated. While the building of the pipeline raises about 3500-4500 temporary jobs, this type of oil spill would kill hundreds of thousands of permanent jobs as well as increasing health risks and safety hazards of millions of American citizens. Additionally, the pipeline opens a free port for Canada, resulting in a net loss of United States’ trillions of dollar put in for oil infrastructure. Finally, Trans Canada has already stated that the oil extracted will be sold to foreign markets. The whole point of the operation, to reduce foreign dependency on oil, will be lost.
The detrimental environmental effects of the pipeline will affect the world. Firstly, the Canadian Tar Sands in the second largest carbon dioxide reserve. If drilled into, global warming, a world-wide problem, will speed up. Hydraulic fracking, the method used to drill the oil, also seriously affects air quality and grass. Additionally this endeavor
Neeraj Prasad
The Keystone Pipeline represents the worst environmental outcome for not only the United States, but for the world. A possible pipeline will hurt the economy, increase unemployment rate, affect the health of millions of people, and boost greenhouse gas emissions, speeding up the rate of global warming. The project creates 1179 miles pipeline underground in replacement of the existing shorter one to transport crude oil from Tar Sands in Canada to refineries across the United States. The project plan has already been rejected once by President Obama, but TransCanada, the pipeline company, has filed another application with slightly different terms for the same idea.
The existing shorter pipeline transporting oil has had twelve leaks in its one year. A longer pipeline raises serious concerns for environmentalists. In the state of Nebraska, the Ogallala Aquifer supplies water for agricultural purposes and to more than two million people. If a minor oil spill occurs in that area, ground water and the aquifers would be contaminated. While the building of the pipeline raises about 3500-4500 temporary jobs, this type of oil spill would kill hundreds of thousands of permanent jobs as well as increasing health risks and safety hazards of millions of American citizens. Additionally, the pipeline opens a free port for Canada, resulting in a net loss of United States’ trillions of dollar put in for oil infrastructure. Finally, Trans Canada has already stated that the oil extracted will be sold to foreign markets. The whole point of the operation, to reduce foreign dependency on oil, will be lost.
The detrimental environmental effects of the pipeline will affect the world. Firstly, the Canadian Tar Sands in the second largest carbon dioxide reserve. If drilled into, global warming, a world-wide problem, will speed up. Hydraulic fracking, the method used to drill the oil, also seriously affects air quality and grass. Additionally this endeavor