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Keystone XL: 5 basic things you should know

For those not up to speed on the Keystone XL controversy, here is what you need to know.

4. So why is the Keystone XL leg such a big deal?

Evan Vucci/AP/File
Demonstrators march with a replica of a pipeline during a protest to demand a stop to the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline outside the White House on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, in Washington.

The initially proposed route for Keystone XL crossed two environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska: the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water to the majority of the Great Plains, and the Sandhills, a major ranching area in the region.  

The 2012 application filed by TransCanada to the Department of State took those concerns into consideration and redrew the pipeline’s route in attempt to bypass the areas in question. In January, the State Department issued its official environmental impact report for Keystone XL, which found only a limited impact on the environment.

However, farmers and environmentalists say that the new route is still too close for comfort, and also raise concerns about emissions released by the pipeline and the burning of the carbon-intensive fuel it transports. Tar sands emit an estimated 17 percent more greenhouse gases on a lifecycle basis than the average barrel of crude oil refined in the United States in 2005, according to a State Department analysis.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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