The Keystone XL Pipeline

Protest against construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Ottawa, November 26, 2011.

Keystone XL (export limited) is a proposed 1,947-kilometre pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska. The new pipeline to be constructed is designed to transport 830,000 barrels per day of Alberta crude heavy oil south to Steele City where the oil will be transferred to TC Energy's existing lines heading to the oil refining centre on the U.S. Gulf Coast. TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) will own, construct and operate the XL pipeline.

Keystone XL will be TC Energy's fourth and largest pipeline in the Keystone series of pipelines carrying Alberta crude oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Originally proposed in 2008, the XL pipeline faces substantial opposition and delays in the U.S., especially in Nebraska where it goes through the sensitive Sandhills. The Nebraska Sandhills are one of the largest plant-anchored sand dune regions in the world, and the largest formation in the Western Hemisphere. The dunes sit atop the Ogallala Aquifer, resulting in thousands of little lakes and ponds in lower-lying areas. The dunes were designated a U.S. National Natural Landmark in 1984. Fear abounds in the area that an oil spill will damage the Sandhills and Aquifer, which farmers rely on for water and refer to as the lifeblood of the region.[1]

The Canadian section of the proposed XL pipeline extends for 526 kilometres of new pipeline through Alberta and Saskatchewan or 27 per cent of the total, while the U.S. section is considerably more at 1,421 kilometres or 73 per cent of the total length.

The number of U.S. workers projected to be directly employed during the two years of pipeline construction is estimated as low as 2,000 to as many as 5,000 workers with others benefiting from indirect employment. The Alberta government estimates 1,400 workers for the Canadian portion, while TC Energy has doubled that number. The Alberta government estimate is consistent with the number of temporary jobs to build other pipelines, and it seems TC Energy has inflated the numbers by adding together the number of workers needed in each year.  Permanent jobs upon completion for the entire length are projected to be from 35 to 50.

TC Energy Corporation is a North American energy cartel based in Calgary. The company develops and operates energy infrastructure throughout the continent with its core businesses being Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines and Energy. The Natural Gas Pipeline network includes 92,600 kilometres of gas pipeline transporting more than 25 per cent of North American demand.[2] The Liquids Pipelines division owns 4,900 kilometres of oil pipeline transporting 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day, about 20 per cent of Western Canadian exports. The Energy division owns or has interests in 11 power generation facilities with combined capacity of 6,600 megawatts (MW), including nuclear and natural gas fired power plants.

The global financial oligarchy owns TC Energy through shares traded on the imperialist stock markets. Four hundred and eighty-eight institutional investors own 62 per cent of the stock. The largest owner is the Royal Bank of Canada with over 8 per cent. Other big Canadian banks own a further 9 per cent while global investors The Vanguard Group Inc. own 3.16 per cent, Deutsche Bank 2.71 per cent followed by many of the big names of the financial oligarchy.

Notes

1. U.S. Judge Brian Morris ruled in a Billings, Montana court on April 15 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider effects of the Keystone XL pipeline and its construction on endangered species as it traverses rivers and streams. The ruling cancels a key 2017 nationwide Clean Water Act permit for the XL project throwing its continuation into greater uncertainty.

It is becoming clear that this ruling involves the raging civil war in the U.S. The venom against former U.S. President Obama and those in the ruling elite calling for investment in renewable energy, rather than carbon fuels, in the pages of the mouthpiece of the Alberta energy oligarchs, called Oil Sands Magazine, is one example. Furthermore, President Trump's first Secretary of State was Rex Tillerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil, which has vast investments in Russia.

2. LNG Canada partners Royal Dutch Shell, Korea Gas Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, PetroChina Company and PETRONAS have contracted TC Energy to build, own and operate the much disputed Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project in northern BC.

This article was published in

Volume 50 Number 13 -

Article Link:
The Keystone XL Pipeline

    

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