The environmental impact report about the Keystone Pipeline was released yesterday. The predicted impact on the environment would be negligible, but not for the reasons some might think. It is not because the oil is really dirty. And it is not because burning it will not contribute to global climate change. The reason given is that with or without the pipeline the oil will be extracted at the same rate and shipped via rail, truck or barge. The oil is coming out of the ground and being burned no matter if the pipeline is built or not. The oil will be shipped across the country, by rail, by truck and by barge, the pipe line doesnt add a significant risk of spillage potential. We already face a large threat of spills the pipeline doesnt significantly add to that threat. It is not that the pipeline is an environmentally sound idea, it just isnt any worse than what is currently being done. Not building it wont have the impact on the industry people think it will. Not building it is a purely symbolic gesture as far as the impact on the environment. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will this President sign the bill? If he does will it impact the economy the way people are claiming? Will there be thousands of jobs for a long time. Or a brief boom in construction and then a handful of maintenance jobs?
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 17:13:46 +0000
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