Keystone Pipeline Essay

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Keystone Pipeline
Keystone pipeline is an oil system that runs from the united states of America to Canada. The oil system was commissioned in the year 2010 and was owned by TC Energy. In March 2020, the project was being managed by the government of Alberta. The oil system runs from the Western Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to the oil refineries in Texas and Illinois. The pipeline system also runs to a distribution center located in Cushing, Oklahoma. The oil system is expected to transport approximately 800000 barrels of oil from Western Canada to the oil refineries in the United States of America. The keystone pipeline project has had various projects over the years, which increases the amount of oil distributed to various areas in Canada and the US. However, the project faced opposition from environmentalists during phase IV KXL.
The opposition was based on the concept of fossil fuels and climatic change. Following the concerns raised by environmentalists during Phase IV KXL, President Barack Obama delayed the project in 2015. In 2017, President Donald Trump permitted the project's completion, but President Joe Biden revoked the permit in 2021 (Listokin). Therefore, this paper will focus on the issues facing the project and the various environmental concerns. It will also analyze the project's economic impact and how it has affected the nearby areas' communities. A recommendation will be offered on what could be done to have a clean energy source in the US.
Environmentalists argue that the negative impacts caused by the pipeline system from Texas to Alberta exceed its intended economic benefits. The main environmental concern is that the oil system is intended to transport a damaging fossil fuel. Over the years, fossil fuels have been considered the leading cause of pollution in the environment. As the fuels burn, they emit carbon dioxide, which in tuns, pollutes the air. Such pollution has resulted in the death of many people across the globe. The current energy reforms are aimed at replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy.
However, the project seems to be aimed against these energy reforms. It promotes the production of fossil fuels that will continue polluting the environment. The project has cost a lot of money, which could have been invested in creating a clean energy source. Environmentalists are concerned about the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels on the environment. The project's completion can be equated to adding approximately 5million cars to the US's streets. This indicates that the project will promote global warming, yet activists advocate for a reduction of the same. Therefore, a project that increases the number of fossil fuels being circulated is a threat to nature.
Tar sand is considered highly corrosive, which can be a threat to the environment and people. This is the kind of oil that will be pumped through the pipes. Over time, the oil would corrode the pipe, thus causing the risk of the oil leaking to the environment. Once the oil has been leaked into the environment, it can affect the quality of the air in the surrounding areas. The leaked oil would also harm animal and plant life as it runs off in rivers and fo...