Keystone XL Pipeline Project thread

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Keystone Backed in Poll by 56% of Americans as Security



By Jim Snyder  Dec 12, 2013 8:00 PM ET

More Americans view the Keystone XL oil pipeline as a benefit to U.S. energy security than as an environmental risk, even as they say Canada should do more to reduce greenhouse gases in exchange for approval of the project.

A Bloomberg National Poll shows support for the $5.4 billion link between Alberta’s oil sands and U.S. Gulf Coast refineries remains strong, with 56 percent of respondents viewing it as a chance to reduce dependence on oil imports from less reliable trading partners. That compares with the 35 percent who say they see it more as a potential source of damaging oil spills and harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

A push by environmental groups against the project may be affecting public opinion: 58 percent of poll respondents say they want Canada to take steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as a condition for approval, with 32 percent opposing such a requirement.

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In the end, President Obama may likely back this project to further boost the economy, and as part of any economy-related deal with Republicans. 

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Final decision on the Keystone Pipeline (the northern leg) will be made this June.

The southern leg is already under construction.  

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Newest poll out (this time from USA Today) shows that support for the pipeline remains unchanged since December with 56% favoring its construction.  

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Still early, but all signs point to President Obama approving the construction of this pipeline:

Keystone Report Said Likely to Disappoint Foes on Climate

By Jim Snyder, Mark Drajem and Jonathan Allen 
Jan 30, 2014 10:23 PM ET

The U.S. State Department is preparing a report that will probably disappoint environmental groups and opponents of the Keystone pipeline, according to people who have been briefed on the draft of the document.

While the report will deviate from a March draft in some ways to the liking of environmentalists, the changes won’t be as sweeping as they had sought, several people familiar with the government’s deliberations over the review told Bloomberg News. Changes could still be made to the report before its release, which may come tomorrow.

The March report concluded that the Canada-U.S. oil pipeline would have only a minimal impact on carbon emissions, because the oil sands in Alberta will be developed anyway. Several people briefed on the findings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said they expect the final report will track that conclusion.

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So what do you all think?  Is the State Department EIS on the pipeline so compromised by the oil industry that it is too biased to be reliable, as the Greens are claiming here? 

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A Nebraska court just declared unconstitutional a law giving Governor Dave Heineman the right to approve the proposed Keystone route through his state.

And the saga continues....   

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So what do you all think?  Is the State Department EIS on the pipeline so compromised by the oil industry that it is too biased to be reliable, as the Greens are claiming here? 

The State Dept. IG found that his agency did not violate any conflicts-of-interest rules when it chose an outside contractor.

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New Post-ABC News poll: Keystone XL project overwhelmingly favored by Americans

By Juliet Eilperin and Scott Clement,
Published: March 7

Americans support the idea of constructing the Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canada and the United States by a nearly 3 to 1 margin, with 65 percent saying it should be approved and 22 percent opposed, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.



The findings also show that the public thinks the massive project, which aims to ship 830,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta and the northern Great Plains to refineries on the Gulf Coast, will produce significant economic benefits. Eighty-five percent say the pipeline would create a significant number of jobs, with 62 percent saying they “strongly” believed that to be the case.

At the same time, nearly half of those interviewed — 47 percent — say they think Keystone will pose a significant risk to the environment.

That so many Americans back the pipeline, even with environmental risks, highlights the quandary facing President Obama and his top aides as they weigh whether to approve the proposal.

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New poll out, this time from Pew:

Keystone XL Pipeline Divides Democrats:
Proposal Retains 2-to-1 Support among Public

MARCH 19, 2014

As the Obama administration deliberates over whether to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built, the proposed pipeline continues to draw broad support from the public. Currently, 61% favor building the pipeline while 27% are opposed. These views have changed little over the past year.

As previous surveys on the pipeline proposal have found, there is far more support for constructing the pipeline among Republicans (84% favor) and independents (61%) than among Democrats. About half of Democrats (49%) favor building the pipeline while 38% are opposed.



The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Feb. 27-Mar. 16 among 3,335 adults, provides an opportunity for a detailed look at differences among Democrats on this issue. Opposition to building the pipeline is most widespread among highly educated Democrats, liberals and those with high family incomes.

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At this rate, it looks as if the Obama administration is going to push the decision unto the next President, whomever it may be.

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TransCanada has just asked the State Department to pause its review of the project:

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/transcanada-state-department-keystone-215462

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I regret I ever supported this:

The latest Keystone Pipeline oil leak is almost 10 times worse than initially thought

The amount of land impacted by an oil spill in North Dakota is almost 10 times larger than initially reported, officials say. The disclosure comes about a month after the Keystone 1 Pipeline leaked about 383,040 gallons of oil.

TC Energy, the company that owns the pipeline, shut down it down on October 29 after discovering that the oil had leaked from the pipe into the surrounding wetlands. The pipeline was returned to service on November 10 following approval by the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, TC Energy says.

Initial reports of the leak released by TC Energy and North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality estimated about 2,500 square yards of land were affected by the spill.

Now, they have both revised the size of the impacted area to 4.8 acres, or 23,232 square yards -- that's almost ten times the original estimate.

The new estimate includes both the surface and subsurface impact of the leak. The initial 2,500-square-yard estimate was based on visual observations alone, the company told CNN.