It’s important for the United States to produce and export oil because if we don’t, the Middle East and Russia will capitalize on the product and they will become stronger and richer countries. One of the ways that the United States can be an economically strong country is to reopen the Keystone pipeline and also allow states to have the power to generate their own oil.
The opposition believes that pipelines have posed a huge risk to wildlife and the surrounding environment. The Key Stone pipeline has too many hurdles to go through; therefore, wildlife activists are against this project. President Joe Biden’s pipeline halt angered Canada because Canadians are not getting oil (“Pipelines’’).
The world needs more Canadian oil. There are people
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President Biden believed the pipeline to be a threat to the climate and environment. Originally when the channel was being built, it was mapped out to go through the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, which wasn’t a good idea, since that area has low groundwater. The low groundwater could have led to damaging the drinking water. The Keystone pipeline had a great possibility of transporting 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada. This amount of oil coming into the United States from Canada would have made a positive impact for the United States. It is not in the best interest of the United States to purchase our oil from across seas, because transporting oil via freight ships, railways and trucks can be detrimental to oceans and the earth, like the accident that occurred in 2015 when 14 tanker cars derailed in West Virginia (News Tribune, February 16, …show more content…
President Trump didn’t want America to depend on countries like Russia or our enemies in the Middle East for importing oil. It only makes sense to not import from countries that aren’t our allies and in the process make them richer and stronger countries. President Trump’s Executive Order enabled America to produce more oil, natural gas, and shale energy. “President Trump gave the power back to the states in producing more energy, which led to the creation of more jobs.” In 2018, the United States exported more oil than we imported, for the first time in 70 years, per investors.com (“Trump Just Achieved What Every President since Nixon had Promised”). Energy Independence article (editorials). In order to be a strong nation, America needs to lead in the production of our own energy and make our country economically stable by exporting oil to other
For my research paper this fall I will be talking about Senator Jon Tester's voting habits on the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Keystone XL Pipeline was a bill passed by the Senate by a vote of 62 to 36. This bill would allow the oil to be ship from Alberta to Illinois and then to Texas to be refined and sold. Jon Tester was one of the sixty-two members who supported the Keystone Pipeline because of its benefit on Montana's jobs and economy. However, Jon Tester has also spoken about how Montana and the United States needs to work towards cleaner energy alternatives.
Opponents of the project argue that the negative effects of the pipeline on the environment would outweigh the economic benefits of the pipeline. Since the pipeline would be built over several important landmarks including the Ogallala Aquifer, the “most heavily used aquifer in the United States [which] supplies about 30 percent of the groundwater pumped for irrigation nationwide” as well as provide a major source of drinking water, the potential for leaks and spillages in the pipe could cause the water to become contaminated (Song). Nearby plants and animals would also be affected by the chemicals of the oil sands. The issue of greenhouse gas emissions also raises concerns. According to Janna Palliser’s, The Keystone XL Pipeline:
The North Dakota Access Pipeline is a topic of controversy because it is economically beneficial for the oil and energy industry, but environmentalists claim that the construction and presence of this access pipe is damaging to the surrounding environment
1. The title of the article is “On the Keystone Pipeline, President Obama Missed an Opportunity” the article was published November 11, 2015 at 12:31 pm by Greg IP. 2. In the article, “On the Keystone Pipeline, President Obama Missed an Opportunity”, it is discussing President Obama’s decision on vetoing the Keystone XL Pipeline and the thought process behind it. In a recent statement President Obama explained his reason for vetoing the pipeline by stating that in order to prevent the climate from warming up we must leave some fossil fuels in the ground.
Because of the United States dependency on oil, having the pipeline would help fulfill its oil-hungry needs. In addition, it comes from an ally and neighbor, Canada, rather than more turbulent places like the Middle East. This will cause an increase in national security because we won’t be as dependent on OPEC if we have another way to get oil. One of the arguments that the people who want the pipeline is that it will decrease gasoline prices. However, that isn’t true.
But these people are still knowledgeable on this issue but support the builders of the pipeline. Some people may look at the pipeline project and wonder where there can be any positives, but the people in favor see the number of jobs created and the amount of money profited by it as a superior outcome. These economic benefits include adding around “$156 million in sales and income taxes to state and local governments as well as add 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs” (Park). With regard to the money raised by taxes for the government, this may be a positive in the economy of the states but not in the economy of the people. Illinois, being the states that the pipeline route ends in, will also be heavily taxed by this project.
The environmental argument is coming from a clash over the fact they are basically stripping the canadian boreal forest, the path of the pipeline extends across major aquifers, and pipelines tend to leak and destroy surrounding environments. In addition ccording to The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions State, “epartment’s draft SEIS found that oil from the Canadian oil sands is 17 percent more carbon-intensive than the average oil consumed in the United States... It is estimated that the U.S. greenhouse gas footprint would increase by 3 million to 21 million metric tons per year, or around 0.04 percent to 0.3 percent of the 2010 levels, if Keystone is built. Fortunately on November 6, 2015, President Barack Obama’s administration rejected the Keystone Pipeline XL after 7 years of dispute. As mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Obama stated “the project would not have lowered gas prices, improved energy security or made a meaningful long-term contribution to the economy
My perceptions regarding Alaskan drilling have not changed, I believe that the Alaskan Wilderness should not be drilled for oil. My decision rests on the fact that the Alaskan wilderness is an irreplaceable natural resource and the possible oil resources it may or may not yield, are not worthy of its destruction. Viewing this situation as a dispassionate observer, there is no overwhelming motive for the U.S. to drill in Alaska. Scientists have largely stated that the oil reserves in Alaska may not yield the amount or quality of oil once believed, therefore it does not warrant the expenditure of time, money, and resources to disrupt the environment. Advocates argue that drilling would decrease fuel prices, create new jobs, and end our foreign
On a major issue considered top priority to environmental groups, the Keystone Pipeline, Clinton suspiciously gave a vague answer when asked her opinion on the conflict. The issue is whether the pipeline, which would transport raw tar sands oil from Canada to Texas, should be built or not. To the environmental groups this is a big deal, because the pipeline is an unconventional energy source requiring far more fuel, water and carbon emissions to extract than conventional oil and gas. Pros of the Keystone Pipeline would be its ability to create jobs and contribute billions of dollars to the economy. Clearly this is a big issue on the presidential debates for the upcoming election and an opinion on this subject could make or break a vote for some citizens.
This year has been really hectic, with protests and elections alike. Something that had to do with the protests part is the Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL. Most people would probably think that the Dakota Access Pipeline is just another pipeline, like the Alaska pipeline, except, it's not just another pipeline. The reason why DAPL is important is because of the fact that it is running over ancient indian land, and not only that it is going over their water source. The clean water the Sioux once had could be gone in just a few months with DAPL going over the standing rock’s water (Michael Bennet).
“Benefits of Governmental Compromise Regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline” Nations all have unique governments and differences necessary for demonstrating successful leadership. Every country needs different assistance from their leadership, such as Rio requiring infrastructure or Somalia lacking political power. Some governments concern themselves with their politicians’ well-being more so than the people they lead, which creates a relevant problem in America. The United States Government can easily forget about Native American Reservations, or even ignore the people living on them. Recently, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has worked on the Dakota Access Pipeline project, which would cross over Native American ancestral lands,
Since he left office, there have been many proposals to open the Arctic Refuge coastal plain to oil drilling. They’ve all been denied because of the opposition by the American people, including the Gwich’in Athabascan Indians of Alaska and Canada, indigenous people whose culture has depended on the Porcupine caribou herd for thousands of years. The short-term economic gain is not worth destroying their homes. He said the Arctic Refuge may provide 1 to 2 percent of the oil our country consumes each day. We can easily conserve more than that amount by driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, we should just use our resources more wisely instead.
The US is going to use some source of energy and that will always have some negative effects on the environment. The alternative sources for the energy we need have negative effects on the environment as well. “In 2011 U.S. coal-fired power plants emitted nearly two billion metric tons of greenhouse gases -- roughly eight times the amount produced by mining, refining and burning tar sands”(Biello). Canada is going to develop a pipeline system to export oil whether it’s to the US or other countries, like China, that are trying to get access to this resource.
TAPS transports 17% of the United State’s domestic petroleum. If the pipeline were to stop, “A loss of that production would increase prices by at least 10 to 16 percent” (Balan). This is very important, as the majority of the American population is in constant need of these resources. A shift this dramatic in the economy would lead to outrage and possible changes in economic inflation. All in all, the Trans Alaska pipeline has provided for a great number of people and has not failed to let them down.