WorldWide Drilling Resource

Keystone Pipeline Delayed Again Despite Support of Americans Compiled by Bonnie Love, Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Keystone XL pipeline has suf- fered yet another setback as the U.S. Department of State has invoked a recent court ruling as its latest reason to avoid making a decision on the pipeline. As the State Department announced it would extend the amount of time it allowed for eight federal agencies to give feedback on the proposal, TransCanada Corp., the would-be builder, expressed disappointment - as did the Canadian government, and Laborers’ International Union of North America, just to name a few. "We are extremely disappointed and frustrated with yet another delay,” TransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling said. “Another delay is inexplicable.” The current issue is whether it is in the country’s national interest to allow construction of the $7 billion, 1700-mile pipeline, which would carry up to 880,000 barrels of oil per day from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, as well as the Bakken region of Montana and North Dakota to the Gulf Coast refineries. In a statement on the Laborers’ International Union of North America’s Web site, Terry O’Sullivan, general pres- ident of the union said, “This is another low blow to the working men and women of our country for whom the Keystone XL Pipeline is a lifeline to good jobs and energy security.” Perhaps the most frustrating part of this debate is American voters of ALL political affiliations overwhelmingly sup- port the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. In a recent poll conducted by Harris Poll, for the American Petroleum Institute (API), 78% of registered voters agree the Keystone XL pipeline is in the U.S. nation- al interest. These poll results are no sur- prise - they reiterate the results from other polls conducted by Pew, Rasmussen Reports, and the Washington Post. API Downstream Operations Senior Manager, Refining and Oil Sands, Cindy Schild said, “Numerous polls have de- monstrated strong voter support for the pipeline, but this latest poll also exam- ines the potential political consequences of failure to act on Keystone. Ninety-five percent of voters believe the federal gov- ernment should focus on energy issues including 70% who describe energy as ‘very important.’ Eight in ten voters indi- cate their vote in the upcoming election will be influenced by a politician's stand on energy issues, while almost [68%] re- port they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports approving Keystone XL.” Experts believe the U.S. has the abil- ity to obtain 100% of its liquid fuel supply from stable North American sources with- in ten years. “Unfortunately, [the administration] has decided to side with a billionaire activist and a handful of shrill extremists instead of the thousands of skilled American workers who have been shut out of the good-paying jobs KXL would provide. The president’s lack of political leadership is hurting middle class Americans. If the White House refuses to heed the analysis of its own State Department and the will of American voters, it’s up to Congress to act on behalf of the American people and approve Keystone XL. It will create thousands of American jobs and increase our energy and national security,” Schild concluded. Will other countries see this action as a sign of U.S. weakness? Many believe that is exactly what’s going on. “This cer- tainly is no example of profiles in courage. It’s clear the administration needs to grow a set of antlers, or perhaps take a lesson from Popeye and eat some spinach,” stated O’Sullivan. The Keystone XL pipeline project will support the creation of 9000 construction jobs in the U.S., including work for pipefit- ters, welders, electricians, heavy equip- ment operators, and much more. It would also support over 42,000 jobs throughout the country. TransCanada has gone to great lengths to ensure this will be the safest pipeline ever constructed in the U.S. The company plans to use satellite technolo- gy to monitor 20,000 data points on the pipe-line’s operating conditions; it also vol- untarily agreed to 57 new safety proce- dures. It’s time to let our leaders know how important this pipeline is - it’s time to build the Keystone pipeline! The Keystone XL Pipeline Project has the potential to reduce the amount of oil the U.S. imports by up to 40%. Photo courtesy of keystone-xl.com 34 JULY 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 1 &+ )$!& 2 / 2 0 ) ,$! )!- ,($ / %, (,%( 1 !+* !& + ($ ' '%%'& 2 / 2 ,($ / 1 . ! * $ * $ ** 1 (,%(* +.! + ) + $'.1 + '- ) +.! + ) + () **,) 1 1 &+ )$!& %, (,%(* ) ++!& + "' '& )'% & +' ,*+) $! !& +' ), 1 &+ )$!& &, +,)!& !* ()', +' 0',) '%($ + *+' #!& *',) ') % )! & &, +,)!& %, (,%( ( )+* &+ )$!& &, +,)!& ' ... &+ )$!& % &, +,)!& '% 1 , (,%(* ') + *+ &+,)0 1 + & '+ )* ( & !&