What kind of oil keystone pipeline

An increased supply of oil from Canada would mean a decreased dependency on Middle Eastern supplies. According to market principles, increased availability of oil means lower prices for consumers. Mr Trump said the project would create 28, construction jobs. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had also supported the pipeline and said "we are disappointed but acknowledge the president's decision" to cancel the permit to build it.

Donald Trump issued the permits within days of taking office, stipulating only that American steel be used in the work. Even back in , the US state department appeared confused about the issue. After first saying XL would not have significant adverse effects on the environment, it advised TransCanada to explore alternative routes in Nebraska because the Sandhills region was a fragile ecosystem.

Beyond the risks of spillage, the pipeline means a commitment to develop Alberta's oil sands. Despite the recent push to find renewable sources of energy and move away from fossil fuels, the amount of oil produced in northern Alberta is projected to double by By the time President Biden took office in , ready to fulfill his campaign promise to revoke the cross-border permit, the dirty energy pipeline had become one of the foremost climate controversies of our time.

It was expected to transport , barrels of Alberta tar sands oil per day to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas. These sands contain bitumen, a gooey type of petroleum that can be converted into fuel.

The proposed Keystone XL extension actually comprised two segments. The first, a southern leg, had already been completed and now runs between Cushing, Oklahoma, and Port Arthur, Texas. Opponents of this project—now called the Gulf Coast Pipeline—say that TC Energy took advantage of legal loopholes to push the pipeline through, obtaining authorization under a U. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide permit and dodging the more rigorous vetting process for individual permits, which requires public input.

The second segment was the hotly contested 1,mile northern leg—a shortcut of sorts—that would have run from Hardisty, Alberta, through Montana and South Dakota to Steele City, Nebraska.

In , the U. State Department, under President Barack Obama, declined to grant the northern leg of the Keystone XL project the permit required to construct, maintain, and operate the pipeline across the U. 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. Indeed, one study found that between and , pipelines moving tar sands oil in Midwestern states spilled three times more per mile than the U.

Less than two years before the project was finally pulled, the Keystone tar sands pipeline was temporarily shut down after a spill in North Dakota of reportedly more than , gallons in late October And the risk that Keystone XL would have spilled was heightened because of the extended time the pipe segments were left sitting outside in stockpiles.

Complicating matters, leaks can be difficult to detect. People and wildlife coming into contact with tar sands oil are exposed to toxic chemicals, and rivers and wetland environments are at particular risk from a spill. For evidence, note the tar sands oil spill in Kalamazoo River, Michigan , a disaster that cost Enbridge more than a billion dollars in cleanup fees and took six years to settle in court.

Keystone XL would have crossed agriculturally important and environmentally sensitive areas, including hundreds of rivers, streams, aquifers, and water bodies. A spill would have been devastating to the farms, ranches, and communities that depend on these crucial ecosystems. Additionally, the report found that without the pipeline the oil would instead be delivered by trains, which produce more CO 2 than pipelines.

On November 16, , the Keystone pipeline system leaked approximately , gallons of oil in northeastern South Dakota, according to TransCanada. According to TransCanada, the pipeline was shut down within minutes of employees discovering an irregularity, and the spill had been controlled as of November 17, The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Keystone XL.

These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles. Ballotpedia features , encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Share this page Follow Ballotpedia. What's on your ballot?

Jump to: navigation , search. Crude oil. Natural gas. Environmental policy. Categories : Pages with broken file links Energy policy concepts and issues Environmental policy terms. Voter information What's on my ballot? Where do I vote? How do I register to vote?

How do I request a ballot? When do I vote? When are polls open? Who Represents Me? In Nov. In his first week at the Oval Office, President Trump signed an executive order clearing the way for the pipeline project. The Republican party had believed that the construction of the pipeline will create more jobs and provide a boost to the economy.

On Jan. TC Energy said it was stopping construction earlier the same day. The Keystone system transports diluted bitumen and synthetic crude oil from Alberta through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma to refineries located in Texas, Illinois, and Oklahoma. Canada has large reserves of oil locked in oil sands. This oil is considered heavy oil, which requires a different refining process from other types of oil.

The production of heavy oil releases particulate matter, such as soot, as well as chemicals such as sulfides, hydrogen cyanide, and sulfur. The finished Keystone XL pipeline is estimated to be able to carry over , barrels of oil a day. The Keystone pipeline has been criticized by environmental groups, politicians, and residents of states through which the pipeline passes. These groups have raised concerns about the proposed route's proximity to the Sandhill region of Nebraska and the Ogallala aquifer , the latter of which provides a significant portion of the water used to water crops in the United States.

The group stated that the most recent spill in Oct. Proponents of the pipeline say that it will increase the supply of oil to the United States and that oil coming from a friendly neighboring country increases security.

Government Publishing Office. Accessed April 7, The White House. TC Energy. Keystone XL.