The Keystone Oil Pipeline

The less-than-stringent EPA did not think this was a good idea.  So the Obama administration took it away from them and put the State department in charge of it. 

What the administration is about to approve is a 36-inch pipeline to carry tar sand oil from Canada to Houston, Tx.  It will cost 13 billion dollars to build and will then transport the tar sand oil to Houston for refining and distribution.  Tar sand oil is solidified petroleum that requires about 5-6 barrels worth of oil to heat up enough to produce one barrel of new oil.  The sand has to be heated to melt and extract the oil, and this requires a lot of energy (they are debating whether to build a nuclear or coal plant to do the heating).  Then the oil that is produced is the dirtiest-burning oil possible.  So it costs a lot of carbon to produce and releases a lot of carbon when burned. 

But the biggest problem is that these pipelines leak.  In May of 2011, a leak sprayed 60 feet into the air and leaked 21,000 gallons of this toxic material in just nine minutes.   There was another leak in Kansas just 20 days later. 

Now, I am all for creating jobs in America, but I don't understand why we want this vulnerable pipeline going all the way across our country.  If we want to transport it to the US for refining, why not build a refinery in Washington or Oregon?  Can't we build a refinery for under 13 billion?  And after the initial construction, Texas will be the sole beneficiary.  Rick Perry's main selling point is that Texas has created a lot of jobs (although he rightfully does not deserve credit for most of them).  Jeopardizing the rest of the country so that Texas can have more jobs does not seem like a good idea to me. 

It's bad for the planet, bad for the country, and good for your political rivals.  Mr. Obama, please do not approve this project.  Instead, lets spend 13 billion on renewable energy sources like wind, solar, etc.