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State Department releases environmental impact statement for Keystone XL pipeline
BNSF Natural gas powered locomotives probably weren’t considered and bitumin needing dilution to travel by pipeline is another point rail does better. But game isn’t over yet.
I’m thinking that the building of this pipeline would alleviate some of the traffic issues in ND.
Alberta crude will eventually feed Gulf refineries. It will either go by rail or by pipeline or by both. Pipelines have proved to be safer and cheaper if their is a constant flow of oil in the pipeline. Those who oppose this pipeline on the basis of increased greenhouse gas emissions really are ignoring other factors in the debate. Perhaps they should be targeting the huge CO2 emissions from US coal fired power plants. Now that would be useful but to replace coal means nuclear power and the environmentalists just cannot stand that idea.
Obama is paying back his buddies Buffett and Gates by not approving Keystone.
Fred Frailey’s article talks about Texas oil going to Gulf coast refineries making shipment of Bakken oil unneeded. Also, Canadian oil is so thick it won’t flow through the pipeline undiluted. This problem appears to make shipment of this oil cheaper by rail undiluted.
I am surprised this is not even in the discussion.
In terms of creating jobs, the pipeline is a big loser. This pipeline project is also about money and politics, since the oil industry wants to start exporting. Although we may have reached a point recently where more of our oil is produced domestically, rather than being imported from overseas, we can ill-afford to start exporting oil again. Also, why is this Canadian crude being considered domestic oil? Maybe domestically produced, but NOT domestically extracted from its point of origin. Many of the highways, railroads, and waterways can transport this oil and help keep people employed in the transportation sector. The oil industry will NOT pass the savings of the pipeline oil to consumers, as they will use their new found profits to influence politics to keep their crooked cronies in office. They have been doing this for decades with roller coaster prices we all see at the gas pump every day.
Note that currently the Bakken oil field is shipping out a million barrels a day of oil and the pipeline will only ship 100,000 barrels. They forecast is 2 million barrels a day by the end of next year via rail to places in the US that don’t have oil pipelines. Our number one export in 2011,2012,2013 is oil and oil related products. Oil processed in Gulf refineries can get more money on the world market than the US market so the domestic user looses out to the foreign user.
Of course just because they have environmental approvals does not mean they have the land or the rights already acquired. Unless they use the same system as they do in Texas which is “You have no rights” if they draw a line through your property and you get one offer and if you refuse they just take your land via eminent domain , then the pipe line will get built quickly otherwise the NIMBYS can hold it up for years.