On Jan. 12, the U.S. Senate passed legislation approving the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Barack Obama has already said he will veto.
The Senate’s approval came after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on Jan. 9. Even though the Senate voted 63 to 32 and the House voted 266 to 153 in favor of the bill, they are still lacking the two-thirds majority vote that is needed to overthrow the President’s veto.
The pipeline is a 1,179-mile extension of TransCanada’s existing Keystone Pipeline that would transport approximately 830,000 barrels of oil from Alberta, Canada to refining facilities near the Gulf of Mexico. The expansion will include a section that connects Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast of Texas and a second section from Alberta to Kansas.
Emily Harrington, sophomore environmental science major, said that students should pay attention to the ongoing debate about the pipeline because it is their world and their lives and they have to deal with the consequences of whatever decision is made.
“If the project goes south, it’s not the people in charge of it right now who have to deal with it,” she said. “It’s going to be our responsibility and our mess to clean up.”
According to a poll of 1,011 American conducted by CNN from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21, 57 percent were in favor of the pipeline’s construction. Those who oppose the pipeline argue mostly environmental concerns.
The pipeline will extract crude oil from oil sands, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will create approximately 17 percent more greenhouse gases. The route of the pipeline will also cut through the Ogallala Aquifer, which extends from Texas to South Dakota. The aquifer supplies drinking water to the Great Plains and acts as an irrigation source for many farms.
“The building of the Keystone XL Pipeline would degrade the landscape and environment that we all share, risking not only the health of the people near the area, but all of us,” Harrington said.
Photo Credit: Laris Karklis at the Washington Post
