By: Morgan Scheckel
Within his first few days in office, President Biden signed an executive order which revoked the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline.[1] The project was proposed in 2008 by TC Energy and it was designed to transport tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast of Texas.[2] The pipeline is comprised of two segments, the southern and northern.[3] While the southern part of the pipeline has already been completed, the northern segment has faced difficulties.[4] Under Obama’s administration, the permit to construct the northern leg was declined, but then President Trump reversed that action and granted the permit to continue construction.[5] Despite President Trump’s efforts though, President Biden’s executive order last month halted the construction of the 1,700 mile pipeline project.
Since the Keystone Pipeline project began there have been varying opinions from supporters, as well as opponents of the project. Supporters of the pipeline have consistently said that it would create thousands of jobs in the United States.[6] However, with President Biden recently revoking the permit, it could directly lead to large amounts of layoffs.[7] Furthermore, according to lobbyists, developing tar sands would protect the United States’ national energy security and lower fuel prices in the U.S.[8] People for the pipeline have also emphasized the point that the growth of tar sands will continue to move forward with or without the Keystone XL Pipeline.[9]
While some believe in the pipeline and its claimed benefits, various environmental activists, indigenous communities, and farmers have strongly opposed the pipeline project.[10] One of the biggest concerns surrounding the pipeline is the harmful impacts it could have on our environment.[11] The construction of the pipeline itself and the development of crude oil will likely lead to an increase in the use of fossil fuels, which will then produce more greenhouse gas emissions.[12] Opponents further argue that due to the tar sands oil being extremely corrosive it could lead to more leaks in the pipeline.[13] Along with leaks, another environmental and safety issue is potential oil spills, which as we have seen in the Kalamazoo River and BP oil spills are not only costly, but should also make one pause when considering the Keystone Pipeline project.[14] A further safety issue surrounding the Keystone Pipeline is that it runs through the Sandhills area of Nebraska, which houses the Ogallala Aquifer.[15] The concern is that the ground is very thin in the Sandhills area, which could cause problems for the two million people that depend on the aquifer for their drinking water.[16]
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Keystone XL Pipeline, President Biden made his decision and now TC Energy has to figure out its next steps. As of the beginning of this month, TC Energy hadn’t announced what it planned to officially do with the project.[17] It could scrap the pipeline project entirely or it could just wait for more beneficial political conditions to then resume its more than a decade of work.[18]
[1] Rob Gilles, Keystone XL Pipeline haltered as Biden revokes permit, AP News, https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-alberta-2fbcce48372f5c29c3ae6f6f93907a6d (Jan. 20, 2021).
[2] Melissa Denchak, What Is the Keystone XL Pipeline, NRDC, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-keystone-pipeline#whatis (Jan. 20, 2021).
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Irina Ivanova, Who benefits from revived Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines?, CBS News, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-benefits-from-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-dakota-access-pipeline-pros-cons/ (Jan. 24, 2017).
[7] Keystone XL, TC Energy disappointed with Expected Executive Action revoking Keystone XL Presidential Permit, Keystone XL, https://www.keystonexl.com/project-updates/updates-feed/2021/tc-energy-disappointed-with-expected-executive-action-revoking-keystone-xl-presidential-permit/ (Jan. 20, 2021).
[8] Melissa Denchak, What Is the Keystone XL Pipeline, NRDC, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-keystone-pipeline#whatis (Jan. 20, 2021).
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] David Barer, Alex Dropkin, Jessica Mahoney, Michael Marks and Daniel Ramirez, What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?, StateImpact Texas, https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/ (last visited Feb. 26, 2021).
[12] Gray, Debunking Keystone: The Myths & Misinformation about Extending the Pipeline, Gray, https://www.gray.com/insights/debunking-keystone-the-myths-misinformation-about-extending-the-pipeline/ (May 28, 2014).
[13] David Barer, Alex Dropkin, Jessica Mahoney, Michael Marks and Daniel Ramirez, What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?, StateImpact, https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/ (last visited Feb. 26, 2021).
[14] Gray, Debunking Keystone: The Myths & Misinformation about Extending the Pipeline, Gray, https://www.gray.com/insights/debunking-keystone-the-myths-misinformation-about-extending-the-pipeline/ (May 28, 2014).
[15] David Barer, Alex Dropkin, Jessica Mahoney, Michael Marks and Daniel Ramirez, What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?, StateImpact, https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/keystone-xl-pipeline/ (last visited Feb. 26, 2021).
[16] Id.
[17] Alec Jacobson, The Keystone XL pipeline is dead. Now what?, National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/keystone-xl-pipeline-dead-now-what (Feb. 9. 2021).
[18] Id.