[Music]
delays political debate and a
presidential veto have helped make this
a hot-button political issue welcome to
watchmojo.com is installment we’re
counting down ten crucial facts you
should know about the Keystone pipeline
number ten what is the Keystone pipeline
the brainchild of the TransCanada
Corporation a Canadian energy company
based in Alberta Canada the Keystone
pipeline is a pipeline that channels
increased amounts of oil from Alberta’s
oil sands to the United States up to
eight hundred and thirty thousand
barrels per day in existence as an idea
since 2005 the project was heavily
criticized up north however in 2007 the
Canadian government approved the
pipeline’s construction on its home soil
followed by the u.s. approved phase one
a year later the first three phases of
the project were completed and online by
2015 as the contentious fourth phase
referred to as Keystone XL remained
incomplete phase four was essentially a
quicker route to and from the same
locations as the phase one project with
more direct access into states like
Texas however because it’s proposed
route passes over Nebraska’s Ogallala
Aquifer a vital source of water used for
drinking farming and more this portion
of the project has been even more highly
debated than phases one through three
number nine how is the Keystone
different from other pipelines because
of its sheer size and scope and because
it crosses the border between two
countries spanning several states and
provinces with over 2,000 miles of
pipeline the Keystone pipeline brings
with it unique political challenges for
example the project required approval
from the Canadian government as well as
the United States government in the form
of an environmental impact assessment
and a national interest assessment they
undirected my administration to cut
through the red tape break through the
bureaucratic hurdles and make this
project a priority to go ahead and get
it done
after over two years of paperwork
TransCanada finally secured the permits
required for the project however phase
four remains in limbo as US President
Barack Obama makes his conclusive choice
on whether or not to approve the
pipeline number eight why is this issue
so contentious as it stands there are
roughly 70 pipelines that cross the
borders between the u.s. and Canada with
some transporting oil and others natural
gas but the Keystone XL project was
brought to the attention of the public
as environmentalists economists and
politicians all weighed in
environmentalists across the globe say
that it’s a huge drawback that some of
the oil traveling through the pipeline
comes from Alberta’s oil sands to
extract usable oil from this source is
not only labor intensive but also energy
intensive meaning that oil derived from
oil sands produces significantly more
greenhouse gas emissions from start to
finish than its more traditional
counterparts economists say that since
the US economy still depends on oil in a
big way this project would be a huge
boon to the country the American public
stands to gain of 42,000 new jobs two
billion dollars in investment in the
pockets of the American public the
debate among American politicians is
split along party lines with President
Obama torn between his environmentally
minded supporters and the 61 percent of
Americans who approve of the pipeline
the republican-controlled Congress hopes
to force the president into okaying the
project number seven who opposes the
Keystone XL pipeline that’s why I call
this pipeline the Keystone XL extra
lethal pipeline it’s mainly
environmental groups and climate change
experts who oppose the pipeline as they
viewed the original path of the XL
pipeline as a disastrous move with
potentially massive repercussions
environmentalists worry about the
pipeline not only because this would
enable America to remain dependent on
oil which they say will soon lead to
irreparable damage in terms of climate
change but also because using oil from
the oil sands will inherently lead to an
increase in
greenhouse gas emissions what’s more
there are concerns about leaks along the
pipeline and those worries are not
unfounded phase one had over a dozen
accidents during its first year and
residents living near the proposed
pipeline locations mention oil spills as
a worst-case scenario number six who
supports the Keystone XL pipeline
reliable stable source of energy
produced in North America support for
this pipeline has come from various
factions including the Canadian
government TransCanada major labor
unions and large refineries that have
already signed multi-year contracts for
future oil refinery operations over half
of the US population has also expressed
support for the project the State
Department has estimated that the
pipeline would create between five and
six thousand jobs in the US while other
sources put that number much lower in
addition the current method of crude oil
transportation between Canada and the
United States is Via Rail and recently
there have been several serious
accidents involving trains carrying oil
making the pipeline seem like a more
favorable option proponents of the
pipeline also mentioned the benefit of
not depending on foreign oil from
countries like Saudi Arabia or Nigeria
and finally the ties this project would
create between the US and Canada are
cited as invaluable number five why is
approval of Keystone XL taking so long
phase four of the project the
controversial Keystone XL phase was
delayed in order to give the government
enough time to properly examine the
project this is despite of the State
Department’s environmental impact report
which claimed that the XL pipeline would
cause quote no significant impact in
other words building it won’t make much
difference it’s welcome news for the oil
industry and for the Harper government
this report immediately drew criticism
from environmental groups who believe it
downplayed the effect of the pipeline in
addition documents obtained under the
Freedom of Information Act show that
TransCanada had previously worked with
the contractor they recommended to help
with the State Department study
seriously calling its legitimacy into
question number four
how will the Keystone pipeline affect
the environment while the State
Department concluded that the pipeline
would have a minimal impact on the
environment they also said that
development of Canada’s oil sands
industry would lead to higher greenhouse
gas emissions and according to the
nonprofit environmental advocacy group
the Natural Resources Defense Council or
NRDC the amount of carbon added to our
atmosphere as a result of Keystone XL
over the next five decades would be more
than the combined emissions of every car
in the US over the course of one year
the rules of supply and demand also
suggest that with more oil available
prices will drop and therefore
consumption will increase thereby again
increasing the carbon footprint of the
pipeline number three does North America
need the oil North America has been
experiencing an energy boom with jobs
being created and costs being lowered
this new infrastructure would keep that
boom going and would weaken North
American dependence on foreign oil even
further
however as environmentalists are hoping
to shift energy sources from oil to
something more environmentally friendly
the need for oil in North America is
relative number two how did the White
House vote sergeant-at-arms will restore
order after the Senate approved the
construction of the Keystone XL pipeline
at the end of January President Obama
vetoed the bill On February 24th 2015 in
explaining his decision Obama said that
the bill was an attempt by the
republican-led Congress to make a
decision that should be a task for the
president he also questioned whether
such a pipeline was truly in the
country’s best interest a few weeks
later Republicans tried to overrule the
presidential veto but failed to reach
the two-thirds majority in terms of vote
that would have been necessary to do so
number one who has the final decision on
the Keystone XL pipeline because they
were unable to overrule the presidential
veto some Senate members hinted that the
battle is not over and that they might
attach
the pipeline to other legislation in the
future that the president will not want
to veto in the meantime Canada plans to
increase its oil sands production
regardless of the outcome of the
Keystone pipeline issue and will thus
search for viable alternatives such as
the construction of the Northern Gateway
pipeline which would transport oil to
Canada’s west coast in order to meet
Asian demand but the final decision lies
in the hands of President Obama who is
expected to make his final choice at
some point during 2015
did these facts surprise you to vote for
which new story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
[Music]
delays political debate and a
presidential veto have helped make this
a hot-button political issue welcome to
watchmojo.com is installment we’re
counting down ten crucial facts you
should know about the Keystone pipeline
number ten what is the Keystone pipeline
the brainchild of the TransCanada
Corporation a Canadian energy company
based in Alberta Canada the Keystone
pipeline is a pipeline that channels
increased amounts of oil from Alberta’s
oil sands to the United States up to
eight hundred and thirty thousand
barrels per day in existence as an idea
since 2005 the project was heavily
criticized up north however in 2007 the
Canadian government approved the
pipeline’s construction on its home soil
followed by the u.s. approved phase one
a year later the first three phases of
the project were completed and online by
2015 as the contentious fourth phase
referred to as Keystone XL remained
incomplete phase four was essentially a
quicker route to and from the same
locations as the phase one project with
more direct access into states like
Texas however because it’s proposed
route passes over Nebraska’s Ogallala
Aquifer a vital source of water used for
drinking farming and more this portion
of the project has been even more highly
debated than phases one through three
number nine how is the Keystone
different from other pipelines because
of its sheer size and scope and because
it crosses the border between two
countries spanning several states and
provinces with over 2,000 miles of
pipeline the Keystone pipeline brings
with it unique political challenges for
example the project required approval
from the Canadian government as well as
the United States government in the form
of an environmental impact assessment
and a national interest assessment they
undirected my administration to cut
through the red tape break through the
bureaucratic hurdles and make this
project a priority to go ahead and get
it done
after over two years of paperwork
TransCanada finally secured the permits
required for the project however phase
four remains in limbo as US President
Barack Obama makes his conclusive choice
on whether or not to approve the
pipeline number eight why is this issue
so contentious as it stands there are
roughly 70 pipelines that cross the
borders between the u.s. and Canada with
some transporting oil and others natural
gas but the Keystone XL project was
brought to the attention of the public
as environmentalists economists and
politicians all weighed in
environmentalists across the globe say
that it’s a huge drawback that some of
the oil traveling through the pipeline
comes from Alberta’s oil sands to
extract usable oil from this source is
not only labor intensive but also energy
intensive meaning that oil derived from
oil sands produces significantly more
greenhouse gas emissions from start to
finish than its more traditional
counterparts economists say that since
the US economy still depends on oil in a
big way this project would be a huge
boon to the country the American public
stands to gain of 42,000 new jobs two
billion dollars in investment in the
pockets of the American public the
debate among American politicians is
split along party lines with President
Obama torn between his environmentally
minded supporters and the 61 percent of
Americans who approve of the pipeline
the republican-controlled Congress hopes
to force the president into okaying the
project number seven who opposes the
Keystone XL pipeline that’s why I call
this pipeline the Keystone XL extra
lethal pipeline it’s mainly
environmental groups and climate change
experts who oppose the pipeline as they
viewed the original path of the XL
pipeline as a disastrous move with
potentially massive repercussions
environmentalists worry about the
pipeline not only because this would
enable America to remain dependent on
oil which they say will soon lead to
irreparable damage in terms of climate
change but also because using oil from
the oil sands will inherently lead to an
increase in
greenhouse gas emissions what’s more
there are concerns about leaks along the
pipeline and those worries are not
unfounded phase one had over a dozen
accidents during its first year and
residents living near the proposed
pipeline locations mention oil spills as
a worst-case scenario number six who
supports the Keystone XL pipeline
reliable stable source of energy
produced in North America support for
this pipeline has come from various
factions including the Canadian
government TransCanada major labor
unions and large refineries that have
already signed multi-year contracts for
future oil refinery operations over half
of the US population has also expressed
support for the project the State
Department has estimated that the
pipeline would create between five and
six thousand jobs in the US while other
sources put that number much lower in
addition the current method of crude oil
transportation between Canada and the
United States is Via Rail and recently
there have been several serious
accidents involving trains carrying oil
making the pipeline seem like a more
favorable option proponents of the
pipeline also mentioned the benefit of
not depending on foreign oil from
countries like Saudi Arabia or Nigeria
and finally the ties this project would
create between the US and Canada are
cited as invaluable number five why is
approval of Keystone XL taking so long
phase four of the project the
controversial Keystone XL phase was
delayed in order to give the government
enough time to properly examine the
project this is despite of the State
Department’s environmental impact report
which claimed that the XL pipeline would
cause quote no significant impact in
other words building it won’t make much
difference it’s welcome news for the oil
industry and for the Harper government
this report immediately drew criticism
from environmental groups who believe it
downplayed the effect of the pipeline in
addition documents obtained under the
Freedom of Information Act show that
TransCanada had previously worked with
the contractor they recommended to help
with the State Department study
seriously calling its legitimacy into
question number four
how will the Keystone pipeline affect
the environment while the State
Department concluded that the pipeline
would have a minimal impact on the
environment they also said that
development of Canada’s oil sands
industry would lead to higher greenhouse
gas emissions and according to the
nonprofit environmental advocacy group
the Natural Resources Defense Council or
NRDC the amount of carbon added to our
atmosphere as a result of Keystone XL
over the next five decades would be more
than the combined emissions of every car
in the US over the course of one year
the rules of supply and demand also
suggest that with more oil available
prices will drop and therefore
consumption will increase thereby again
increasing the carbon footprint of the
pipeline number three does North America
need the oil North America has been
experiencing an energy boom with jobs
being created and costs being lowered
this new infrastructure would keep that
boom going and would weaken North
American dependence on foreign oil even
further
however as environmentalists are hoping
to shift energy sources from oil to
something more environmentally friendly
the need for oil in North America is
relative number two how did the White
House vote sergeant-at-arms will restore
order after the Senate approved the
construction of the Keystone XL pipeline
at the end of January President Obama
vetoed the bill On February 24th 2015 in
explaining his decision Obama said that
the bill was an attempt by the
republican-led Congress to make a
decision that should be a task for the
president he also questioned whether
such a pipeline was truly in the
country’s best interest a few weeks
later Republicans tried to overrule the
presidential veto but failed to reach
the two-thirds majority in terms of vote
that would have been necessary to do so
number one who has the final decision on
the Keystone XL pipeline because they
were unable to overrule the presidential
veto some Senate members hinted that the
battle is not over and that they might
attach
the pipeline to other legislation in the
future that the president will not want
to veto in the meantime Canada plans to
increase its oil sands production
regardless of the outcome of the
Keystone pipeline issue and will thus
search for viable alternatives such as
the construction of the Northern Gateway
pipeline which would transport oil to
Canada’s west coast in order to meet
Asian demand but the final decision lies
in the hands of President Obama who is
expected to make his final choice at
some point during 2015
did these facts surprise you to vote for
which new story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
[Music]
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