Homework

Keystone XL Pipeline Project (Week 7 assignment) 22 February The so-called Keystone XL Pipeline Project was started in 2010 which had aimed to deliver oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the United States of America. It was done in four phases with the first three already finished and the fourth phase is the Keystone XL Pipeline Project which is still pending until now. The proposed Keystone Project is awaiting final government approval and duplicates the first phase (the line from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City in Nebraska, USA) but with a shorter route using a bigger pipe to increase total throughput. On the positive side, the expected benefits are lower cost of oil and more security with regards to oil supply stability. But on the negative side, there are environmental worries such as a disastrous oil spill (the pipeline could break due to a number of factors such as acts of sabotage, an earthquake, an explosion, an accident, etc.) which could destroy pristine lands along the route, especially along the sensitive Sand Hills region of north-central Nebraska.
My stance is the pipeline project should be approved because environmental concerns were being adequately addressed by the project proponents. This is because more oil supplies will bring down the cost of oil and benefit millions of American consumers. This is similar to what consumers enjoy today regarding the use of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) technology which made natural gas easier to access, more abundant and considerably cheaper too.
The project passed the Senate (by a vote of 62-36) and the U. S. Congress ( or Lower House) approved it on February 11, 2015 (by vote of 270-152). Keystone was delayed due to Democratic control of Congress as Democrats opposed it but the recent mid-term elections shifted control of Congress to the Republicans who support it. President Obama is expected to veto it as he is a Democrat but neither the Senate nor the House has enough votes to overcome an expected presidential veto as of now. If the Republicans win the next presidential election, they will certainly approve the Keystone XL Pipeline Project because it favors Big Business. They are expected to revive this big oil project in the next Republican administration if their candidate wins whoever it will be among the various possible frontrunners such as Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Scott Walker, Paul Rand, and Marco Rubio. The Senate is now in Republican control (majority of senators are now Republican). What this all boils down is a stark choice between conservation (wise use of resources) and preservation (no pipelines whatsoever).