preview

Keystone Pipeline Pros And Cons

Decent Essays

Would you be willing to give up driving your car? How about the heat in your home? If you answered no to any of these you are not opposed to the building of the Keystone Pipeline. Oil is the cornerstone of American economy. The United States’ dependence on oil trumps any other country in the world. America is the largest oil consumer in the world followed by China. The building of the Keystone Pipeline is an opportunity to strengthen our nations economy and energy future. Wouldn’t it be nice if the petroleum obtained by the United States was cheaper and from a more secure part of the world rather than where America is buying it now?
TransCanada has been pushing the building of the Keystone Pipeline XL project for six years, which is an eternity …show more content…

The United States and Canada have a long history when it comes to energy and economy. Canada is America’s top trading part, which, in turn, plays a role in job creation. Building the Keystone Pipeline will create a great opportunity for these two countries to strengthen their partnership while creating jobs, economic benefits, and creating greater energy security. The project will create many construction and manufacturing jobs and a vast amount of direct, indirect, and induced jobs. The Keystone Pipeline project is what is known as a shovel ready job. According to the TransCanada website, “almost overnight the Keystone XL project could put 9,000 hard-working American men and women directly to work and found that the project would support more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide.” (TransCanada) Those are just estimated shoveling jobs. Imagine the thousands of people put to work in America to finish the project and the millions of hours of labor that it will create. The job opportunities include positions for equipment operators, welders, mechanics, truck drivers and laborers, etc. On top of helping the economy by creating jobs, the Keystone pipeline project will also create demands for local goods and services. Some examples would include, gravel supplies, construction equipment’s supply and maintenance, lodging and accommodation, clearing, and much more. The annual tax revenue, …show more content…

However, most of the oil imports to the U.S. come from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC is part of where the Unites States imports their oil. OPEC countries only produce a small portion of American oil; the U.S. obtains most of its oil from Mexico and Canada. However, over the years Canadian oil production has risen while Mexico’s has fallen. It is obvious that it would be better to have a reliable, long-term supply of crude from Canada than rely on overseas suppliers, whether they are part of OPEC or not. Mexico is believed to no longer be as reliable to produce America’s petroleum. It is known that Pamex, the country’s national oil company, is not investing enough money in new drilling projects even though its most important field, Cantarell, is declining rapidly. On top of that, Canada is the largest oil supplier. It would make sense to build the Keystone Pipeline so the oil can go directly to the United States and not to other parts of the world. The oil will not stay buried; other countries looking for cheap and plentiful energy will buy it. Building the Keystone Pipeline will reduce America’s reliance on energy resources from less stable regions. The Keystone Pipeline project is key to energy security. The supply of oil reaching refiners in the United States is safer and more reliable

Get Access