preview

The Pros And Cons Of The Keystone XL Project

Better Essays

Since 1532, Native Americans have been subjected to American influence. From engaging in treaties to developing a dependency on the reservations, they have a long history of fighting for political, environmental, and human rights. For instance, the Sac and Fox tribe currently battle the Keystone XL project, a major threat to their right to live peacefully and securely. The lead in this project, TransCanada, a Canadian oil company, plans to insert a 1,661 mile crude oil pipeline that runs from Alberta, Canada to Texas, crossing numerous Indian reservations and threatening their natural resources. While Americans benefit from the additional access to oil, it raises issues of water contamination and disturbance to sacred sites and wildlife habitats. Along with these negative impacts, the tribe also lacks inclusion and representation in this proposal. Therefore, the proposed Keystone XL project is not justified because of its intrusion on the human and land rights of the Sac and Fox tribe, which are …show more content…

Other potential solutions include alternative pipeline routes that would be just as or even more detrimental to society. Some of these routes would continue to intrude tribal lands and cause the same health and environmental effects. Instead, using clean energy and cutting back on energy waste would reduce “carbon emissions, create jobs, and save families hundreds of dollars at the pump and on their utility bills every year” (“Advancing American Energy” 1). Renewable energy would also release minimal global warming emissions, improve public health and environmental quality, and create new job opportunities, minimizing damage on the Sac and Fox tribe. With declining costs for renewable energy, America has already made strides toward clean fuels and should continue to do so. Indians would also escape another land dispossession and additional adverse

Get Access