Keystone XL

What we should remember about the Keystone XL pipeline to transfer oil from tarsands from Canada through the US to refineries in Texas.

One, it’s a Candadian company, not a US company, so the revenue and profit from the oil will go to the Canadian company and Canadian government.

Two, the pipeline will be maintained and operated by another company who has a history of pipeline failures, not the Canadian oil company.

Three, the oil will be refined and sold on the global oil market to customers outside the US. Very little, if any, of it will be refined for sale in the US market.

Four, the oil will not reduce the price of gas in the US or our dependence on foreign oil since we won’t be seeing that oil, and even if we did, it’s not a US company.

Five, oil from tarsands is harder to clean up when there is a leak. It’s not if there will be one, but when and how damaging, including seeping into the groundwater and rivers.

Six, the extraction and production of oil from the tarsands increases carbon emissions and greenhouse gases over conventional oil extraction and production.

Seven, if the President doesn’t approve the pipeline, the Canadian company and government will use another pipeline route for the oil in Canada to refineries or ports.

The oil from the tarsands is a Canadian problem, not ours. We don’t gain from it and only get the impact and damage from the leaks in the pipeline.