Preventing Catastrophe: Stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline

Ali Reynolds
CAP 9
Red Group
4/5/2014

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed pipeline that will have calamitous effects on the
environment and the economy. According to Mike Tidwell, the Keystone XL Pipeline is a

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proposed pipeline that would run from Northern Alberta, Canada, to Port Arthur, Texas, and it
would carry a particularly polluting and carbon-intense oil called tar sands oil to the Gulf Coast
to be consumed worldwide. Juliet Eilperin explains that Keystone XL is a 1,664-mile project
that would transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day. TransCanada submitted an application
for the pipeline in 2008. Since then, the pipeline has been surrounded by controversy. Many
people believe it will support the economy and have no negative effects on the environment. On
the other hand, environmentalists argue that it will hurt the economy and will unquestionably
leak, causing an ecological catastrophe (Maestas). Currently, the pipeline is being reviewed by
the State Department. The State Department must reject the Keystone XL Pipeline because it will
expand the environmentally destructive tar sands industry, will likely leak causing an ecological
disaster, and will have harmful effects on the economy.
Pipelines have been used to carry oil in the United States since 1860. Samuel Duncan
Karns, a seventeen year-old boy from West Virginia, proposed the first pipeline in November of
1860. It was to be 36 miles long and would carry oil from a salt well that had begun to produce
oil to a refinery. However, the plan was forgotten when the men were sent to fight in the Civil
War. During the Civil War, many people experimented with pipelines, and a few succeeded. In
1865, the Van Syckel pipeline was built and became the first successful pipeline in the United
States. In 1866, the first pipeline company began, Abbott and Harley (Early Oil Pipelines,
U.S.A.). The most famous pipelines were the Standard Oil pipelines, built by John D.
Rockefeller as an easier and faster way to transport his oil (Marshall). Since then, pipelines have
become the main mode of transport for oil across land. Although many pipelines have been built
in the United States, there has never been one as controversial as the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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The main event to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline was in the summer of 2011, organized
by Bill McKibben, during which a total of 1252 people were arrested. This was a noble effort
and it forced the president to delay a final decision approving a pipeline, but it was not enough
to stop the pipeline (Tidwell). There have been other efforts, such as petitions and letters to the
president, but they have had no apparent effect. In order to block the pipeline, environmentalists
must convince the American public that building it will hurt more than help.
The Keystone XL pipeline must be stopped because it will significantly harm many
communities. According to Mike Tidwell, the pipeline brings an enormous impact to the
communities, local communities, where this pipeline will be brought through . . . Native
American communities, farming communities, ranching communities, the Dakotas, Nebraska,
Montana. Every pipeline leaks. The failure rate for pipelines longer than 1,000 miles is one per
year (Mufson). It has been estimated that the pipeline will leak 91 times in its projected 50-year
lifetime (Chesapeake Climate Action Network). If the pipeline leaks, it would threaten farmers,
ranchers and wildlife (Maestas). The pipeline will affect many Americans in the Midwest,
including Native Americans on reservations, and could have a huge impact on wildlife.
The pipelines harmful effects will be widespread and lasting. The tar sands industry
quickens the rate of climate change. To even begin to get the oil, you have to clear cut huge
parts of pristine boreal forests in Canada, an area about the size of Florida. Then those oil
sands have to essentially be cooked using natural gas (Tidwell). Getting oil from tar sands
generates three times the global warming pollution of conventional crude production
(Tidwell). The industry also uses precious fresh water, 43 percent as much as the city of
Toronto, in 2010 (Mufson). The risk of leaks is also significant. The first Keystone pipeline
leaked fourteen times (Chesapeake Climate Action Network). According to Mike Tidwell, all

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pipelines leak sooner or later the spills are coming. If a leak occurs, it will be almost
impossible to clean it up because this kind of oil is so thick and harmful that once it gets into
rivers and gets attached to stones and underwater features that it cant be easily separated and
cleaned up. One pipeline carrying tar sands oil leaked into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan
and caused a billion dollars in damage just in that one segment of the Kalamazoo River
(Tidwell). The Keystone XL Pipeline will pass over one of the worlds largest freshwater
sources, Nebraskas Ogallala Aquifer so that if it spills the water will be contaminated
(Chesapeake Climate Action Network). The pipeline must be stopped to prevent these threats to
the environment.
The pipeline will also have a negative effect on the economy. While TransCanada claims
that the pipeline will create tens of thousands of jobs, it will only create 1,950 jobs for a two-year
period (Eilperin). After that two-year period, only 35 jobs will remain (Tidwell). Cornell
University did a study and found that the pipeline would kill more jobs than it would create, by
reducing investment in the clean energy economy (Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline). There
would be more economic and tax revenue if the money for the pipeline was spent on clean
energy (Tidwell).
The State Department is currently in charge of approving or rejecting the Keystone XL
Pipeline. The decision was originally President Obamas alone to make, but with Executive
Order 13337 the authority to approve or deny a cross-border pipeline permit is delegated to the
Secretary of State or his designees (Tidwell; U.S. Department of State). The State Department
must now conduct a lengthy reviewwhich consists of both a detailed environmental analysis
and a national interest assessment (Eilperin). The State Department is the only division of the
government that can prevent the pipeline from going forward.

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The State Department will deny a permit to the Keystone XL Pipeline only if it finds that
the pipeline will not hurt the environment and if it is not in the national interest (U.S.
Department of State). To block the pipeline, environmentalists must convince the public and the
State Department that the pipeline is a bad idea (U.S. Department of State). Environmentalists
can emphasize the negative effects of past oil spills, such as the Kalamazoo River spill and the
more recent Gulf of Mexico spill. Activists must also highlight the economic issue. Currently,
most people are supporting the pipeline because they believe it will create more jobs and help the
economy. If the public understands that only 35 jobs will remain after initial construction of the
pipeline and that the pipeline will have a harmful effect on the economy, then public support will
decrease. The State Department will take these public views into consideration. If the State
Department decides that the pipeline is bad for the environment and is not in the national
interest, it will deny the permit for the pipeline.
If the Keystone XL Pipeline is approved by the State Department, the decision will have
many harmful repercussions. According to Steven Mufson, the oil sands industry emits more
than 30 million tons of carbon dioxide per year equivalent to the emissions of 4.7 million
passenger cars and will emit more as it expands. If the pipeline leaks, which environmentalists
believe is inevitable, it could cause more than a billion dollars in damage and hurt the economy.
It also could contaminate one of the largest freshwater sources in the world. In addition, the
pipeline will harm the economy by killing more jobs than it creates. Overall, the pipeline will
have severe harmful consequences.
In conclusion, the Keystone XL Pipeline must be stopped to prevent catastrophic effects
on the environment. The pipeline will accelerate climate change, deplete our fresh water, and
likely leak, killing animals and contaminating the air and water. It will hurt the economy and lead

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to a reduction in jobs for U.S. citizens. If the pipeline is not halted, it will be game over for the
climate (Chesapeake Climate Action Network). The State Department must realize that the
pipeline is not environmentally friendly nor is it in the national interest. If environmentalists
succeed in convincing the State Department to deny permission for the Keystone XL Pipeline, it
will not be remembered as environmentalists worst nightmare. Instead, it will be their greatest
triumph.

Works Cited
Chesapeake Climate Action Network. CCAN, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/>.

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"Early Oil Pipelines, U.S.A." Oil History. Ed. Samuel T. Pees. Petroleum History, 2004. Web. 29
Mar. 2014.
<http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/Pipelines/pipelines.html>.
Eilperin, Juliet. "The Keystone XL Pipeline and its politics, explained." Washington Post. N.p., 4
Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/thefix/wp/2013/04/03/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-its-politics-explained/>.
Maestas, Aislinn. "Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands Pipelines Are a
Bad Bet for the United States." National Wildlife Federation. NWF, 2014. Web. 29 Mar.
2014. <http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/MediaCenter/Reports/Archive/2010/Tar-Sands-Staying-Hooked-on-a-Dirty-Fuel.aspx>.
Marshall, Jim. "Standard Oil Company." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 Mar.
2014.
Steven Mufson. Keystone XL: Down the Line. N.p.: TED, 2013. Print.
"Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline." Natural Resources Defense Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb.
2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/energy/keystone-pipeline/>.
Tidwell, Mike. Personal interview. 23 Mar. 2014
U.S. Department of State. The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, 2014.
Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.state.gov/>.

Annotated Bibliography
Chesapeake Climate Action Network. CCAN, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/>. This source is the website for the Chesapeake

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Climate Action Network (CCAN). It describes their campaigns, including the one against
the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is a reliable source because it is from a non-profit
organization that specializes in the fight against climate change.
"Early Oil Pipelines, U.S.A." Oil History. Ed. Samuel T. Pees. Petroleum History, 2004. Web. 29
Mar. 2014.
<http://www.petroleumhistory.org/OilHistory/pages/Pipelines/pipelines.html>. This is a
history of pipelines in the United States. It mostly describes the first pipeline. It is reliable
because it is from an organization that specializes in the history of oil and petroleum.
"Eight things you should know about the Keystone XL Pipeline." Washington Post. N.p., 28 Mar.
2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/eight-things-youshould-know-about-the-keystone-xl-pipeline/2013/03/28/eb791936-97ac-11e2-b68fdc5c4b47e519_gallery.html#photo=5>. This source is pictures side by side with
information about what the pipeline is and the controversies surrounding it from both
sides of the issue. It is a reliable source because it is from a nationally recognized
newspaper.
Eilperin, Juliet. "The Keystone XL Pipeline and its politics, explained." Washington Post. N.p., 4
Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/thefix/wp/2013/04/03/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-its-politics-explained/>. This gives a
basic overview of the Keystone XL Pipeline issue. It describes what the pipeline is, the
two different sides of the issue, the reasons for the opposing sides, and who has the final
say on the issue. It is reliable because it is from a nationally recognized newspaper.
Maestas, Aislinn. "Staying Hooked on a Dirty Fuel: Why Canadian Tar Sands Pipelines Are a
Bad Bet for the United States." National Wildlife Federation. NWF, 2014. Web. 29 Mar.

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2014. <http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/MediaCenter/Reports/Archive/2010/Tar-Sands-Staying-Hooked-on-a-Dirty-Fuel.aspx>. This
source explains why the Keystone XL Pipeline must be shut down. It goes most in-depth
about the possible affects on local wildlife. It is a reliable source because it is from a nonprofit organization focused on the protection of wildlife.
Marshall, Jim. "Standard Oil Company." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 Mar.
2014. This source describes one of the earlier pipelines, Standard Oil's. It is a reliable
source because it is from a database.
"Overview of Current Environmental Issues, United States." Worldmark Encyclopedia of U.S.
and Canadian Environmental Issues. Ed. Susan Bevan Gall and Margaret K. Antone.
Detroit: Gale, 2012. 1-15. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. This
source describes some possible solutions to current environmental issues, including the
Keystone XL Pipeline. It also had information about other environmental problems that
affect the pipeline. It is a reliable source because it was accessed through a database.
Steven Mufson. Keystone XL: Down the Line. N.p.: TED, 2013. Print. This book details the
journey of four people who traveled across the proposed route for the Keystone XL
Pipeline. It includes pictures, statistics, and interview. It is a reliable source because it is a
first-hand account.
"Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline." Natural Resources Defense Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb.
2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/energy/keystone-pipeline/>. This source is a collection of
article against the Keystone XL Pipeline, mostly the economic and environmental effects.
It is reliable because it is from an organization that specializes in natural resources.

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Swift, Anthony. "Nebraska Court Finds the Proposed Route for Keystone XL Unconstitutional."
Huffington Post 20 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Huffington Post. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-swift/nebraska-court-finds-the_b_4823187.html>. This is an article about how Nebraska declared the Keystone XL
Pipeline route unconstitutional. It includes a statement from the lawyer in charge of the
case. It is a reliable source because it is from a nationally recognized newspaper.
Tidwell, Mike. Personal interview. 23 Mar. 2014. Mike Tidwell spoke about the pipeline, its
proposed route, the possibility of a leak, efforts to shut it down, the effect it will have on
the economy, and related environmental problems. Mike is a reliable source because he is
the founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a non-profit
organization to fight global warming.
U.S. Department of State. The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, 2014.
Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.state.gov/>. This is the website of the State Department.
It explains their mission and what they are doing regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline. It
is reliable because it is from a department in the federal government.

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