“I just feel despair; at 70 years old I’m finally a grandmother and I’m just so scared about my grandbaby’s future on this earth,” said Janet Cunningham, audience member and advocate of preventing the Keystone XL pipeline at a recent workshop protesting the pipeline.
The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would funnel tar sand to be refined into oil. This refining process creates more pollution than most other oil processes used.
The tar sand oil production releases three times more pollution than conventional oil, according to a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Keystone XL pipeline is one environmental issue on a long list that may cause harm to the Earth and its people.
Large oil companies are trying to mislead Americans with false information about the so-called ‘benefits’ of the Keystone XL project, when it really only benefits those oil companies.
Supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline, such as Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, believe it will reduce our foreign oil dependency.
“If the president is serious about improving our economy and helping America become an energy independent nation, he’ll approve the Keystone XL pipeline immediately,” said Barrasso in a statement.
In reality, this oil is not even destined for U.S. markets.
According to the company behind Keystone XL, TransCanada, most of the oil extracted and refined will be exported due to the higher price the overseas markets pay for it.
TransCanada noted in its permit application that the Keystone XL pipeline would give the company permission to drain oil reserves stored in the Midwest and export the oil overseas.
This would actually raise gas prices in the Midwest by up to 15 cents per gallon.
If Americans invested in innovative technology like wind and solar energy instead of dirty fuel, we could lead emerging markets and reduce our dependency on oil.
This in turn would bring more job growth in America. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows proof the solar industry is creating jobs six times faster than the overall job market.
The Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst reports an investment in a green infrastructure program would create nearly four times as many jobs as an equal investment in oil and gas.
Obviously we are spending our money in the wrong industries.
Barrasso also said the pipeline shows no significant environmental impact, but this is just not true.
In 2011, TransCanada reported the existing Keystone Pipeline leaking 12 times. One of these leaks spilled about 21,000 gallons of oil total.
To make matters even worse, how to effectively clean up tar sand oil spills is still unknown; traditional cleanup techniques do not work because diluted tar sand oil sinks in water, different from other oils.
It is important we look toward the future of our earth and keep it clean and safe for generations to come, rather than trying to get rich quick by using destructive oil that will eventually run out.
Climate change is a concern we should take seriously.
Using oil from tar sand leads to an estimated 14 percent higher level of greenhouse gas emissions, the Congressional Research Service reported.
The resulting air pollution would cause communities near the refineries to suffer from risks of respiratory diseases.
Do we really want the United States to be infamous for helping to pollute not only our own air but also that of the entire planet?
There will be a protest in Laramie on April 26 in conjunction with a massive protest in Washington, D.C. opposing the Keystone XL pipeline.
Get involved, share your voice and show the world that, though we are young, we do in fact care about the future of our earth.
