Keystone XL: The Real Price of a Pipeline

Although Warner (D) ended up voting in favor of the bill, on Tuesday November 18, the US Senate rejected TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline proposal by one vote.

As “What You Need To KnowAbout The Keystone XL,” an NPR story by Jeff Brady and Scott Horsely mentions, XL is “just a fraction” of the existing pipeline. This would have been the fourth part of the Keystone Pipeline Project spanning from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska (the first three parts have already been approved, built and are currently used to transport US oil). This article looks at some pluses and minuses to Keystone XL, but there are several other articles- cited at the end- that provided me with information to come to the conclusion that our country is not ready for Keystone XL.

For many Keystone looked like a good thing for the country. It was predicted that this fourth phase- the XL Pipeline- would eventually transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day. That means less of a reliance on the Middle East, and more American energy independence. But if this is all you know about the project than I challenge you to look beyond the TransCanada fact sheet.

The XL Pipeline would transport Canadian tar sands- acknowledged as one of the dirtiest hydrocarbons in the market. Its production requires clear cutting of forests to steam the grounds and extract the oil. It is estimated that the tar sands production creates 17 times the amount of greenhouse gases as US production of conventional oil (Brady), and 2-5 barrels of fresh water for every barrel of bitumen (heavy crude oil). Then we need to find space to create artificial “ponds” for the tailings- the toxic water leftovers. At this point you may be thinking ok, “well this is Canada’s problem right? We don’t have to deal with the consequences.”

Not quite. Our US pipeline regulations have standards made for the transport of light crude. Diluted bitumen is the mixture of a lighter hydrocarbon, chemicals (frequently including benzene a known carcinogen), a bitumen- heaviest crude oil today. Although the studies’ results are mixed, the fact that some studies have proven the transport of “dilbit” to result in increased temperatures, pressures and corrosiveness of the pipelines indicates to me that more research needs to be done (Song).

studies done by  the Natural Resources Defense Council and others

Also the results of  a “dilbit” spill can be much more damaging than that of a conventional spill, because unlike a conventional spill where the oil floats on the surface of the water, in a dilbit spill, the lighter hydrocarbons evaporate and the heavier bitumen sinks into the riverbed. These spills are harder and much more expensive to clean up (Song).

We have seen this play out before. In 2010, around the time of the BP Oil Spill, Enbridge Energy Partners’s pipeline broke in Kalamazoo, Michigan creating The Marshall Spill. It is estimated that while it costs $2,000/ barrel to clean up a conventional spill, it cost $29,000/ barrel to clean up the Marshall “dilbit” spill. Four years and $1 billion later, they are still cleaning up the mess (Song).

Another problem is our inadequate response mechanisms. Industry relies on remote sensors to indicate the presence of a leak. The sensor takes eight minutes to alert the control center of what has happened. However, the fatal flaw is that this alarm detects changes in all oil flow and pressure, and therefore it goes off not only for leaks but also for bubbles in the oil. As we saw in the Kalamazoo incident, it is not easy to decipher between the two. Sixteen alarms went off, but the controllers assumed the problem was oil bubbles and continued the flow of oil. It wasn’t until 17 hours after its start, that the leak was confirmed (Song).

And these are the spills that are caught. According to a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration study between 2002-2012, the device only caught 5% of the nation’s spills.

This is more than an environmental problem. In the case of Kalamazoo, the Michigan Department of Community Health study estimated that 58% of the residents living in vicinity experienced adverse health effect).

It’s easy to say that Enbridge Energy Partners are not the same as TransCanada, and therefore we should not be punishing TransCanada for their mistakes.  This would be easy if TransCanada had a clean record, but unfortunately they don’t. Between June 2010 and September 2011, the first phase of the pipeline had already leaked 14 times. Twelve of these were so big that they had to be brought to federal authorities (Song).

Although the bill did not pass Tuesday, it is likely to come around again next congress with a republican senate. Obama is still waiting for a verdict from the Nebraska court as to the exact route of the pipeline, but once the verdict is out, there is a good chance Obama will approve it. And even if he doesn’t, there is the likely possibility of a Senate override.

I am concerned that we are entering a new game without changing the old rules. We don’t have enough data, regulations or response mechanisms to give the go ahead to Keystone XL. This project should only pass when we are 100% certain that public safety will not be compromised. We are not there yet.

Works Cited

“Acute Health Effects of the Enbridge Oil Spill.” Michigan Department of Community Health MDCH, Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/enbridge_oil_spill_epi_report_with_cover_11_22_10_339101_7.pdf>.

Brady, Jeff and Horsley, Scott. “What You Need To Know About The Keystone XL.” NPR NPR, 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2014/11/17/364727163/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline>.

Casey-Lefkowitz, Shope and Swift. “Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks.” NRDC, NWF, Pipeline Safety Trust and Sierra Club. Feb 2011. Web. Nov. 2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/tarsandssafetyrisks.pdf>.

Song, Lisa. “A Dilbit Primer: How Its Different from Conventional Oil.” Inside Climate

News Inside Climate News, 26 June 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120626/dilbit-primer-diluted-bitumen-conventional-oil-tar-sands-Alberta-Kalamazoo-Keystone-XL-Enbridge >.

Song, Lisa. “Few Oil Pipeline Spills Detected by Much-Touted Sensors.”

            InsideClimateNews InsideClimateNews, 19 Sept. 2012. Web <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-19/oil-pipeline-spills-go-undetected-by-much-touted-sensors.html>.