A couple of months ago, if you had asked my what the Keystone XL Pipeline is, I couldn’t have told you. And why should I? America’s dependence on oil makes oil pipelines and oil imports a normal part of American conversation. Although we might not question a new pipeline that travels across a large portion of the United States, we should rethink our feelings on pipelines in the US.
The proposed pipeline would begin in Canada and make its way through the United States, exiting in Texas at the Gulf of Mexico. This would create a pipeline with an international port, something which would help Canada export more of its tar sands oil.
TransCanada, the company that runs the pipeline, says it would be the safest pipeline ever built. Its predecessor, the Keystone Oil Pipeline, regulated by the same company, had 12 leaks in its first year alone. As we become more dependant on oil, and the transport of this oil domestically, we must consider the environmental costs of this increase.
The Deepwater Horizon spill, and more recently the Yellowstone River oil spill, show the risk of oil transport and the need for better regulation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the report on the Keystone XL Pipeline regulations inadequate, yet certain members of Congress fought for expediting the process of allowing the Keystone XL Pipeline. Without proper regulation of future pipelines our environment is at further risk.
America needs to reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy sources, and move to cleaner energy options. Instead of another pipeline, the money spent on creating the Keystone XL, could be spent on creating renewable energy in the U.S., such as wind and hydroelectric power. Why risk another harmful leak when we can instead form a reliance on energy that we can count on in the future.
If someone comes up to you and asks you your opinion on the Keystone XL Pipeline, what will you say? Will you allow our dependence on oil to increase or stand for a change to clean, renewable sources of energy?
Janel Alters is an Activist Officer for The Young Progressives. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.
