Oil Starts Flowing Through The Keystone XL Pipeline’s Southern Leg Today

From:  Climate Progress 

By Jeff Spross

 

The southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline begins shipping crude oil Wednesday, the Washington Post reports.

Because the southern portion only runs from Oklahoma to the Texas Gulf Coast, thus crossing no international boundaries, it did not require approval from the State Department. The proposed northern leg, however, would cross the U.S.-Canada border, and the Obama Administration has yet to issue its final decision on whether to approve it.

The northern leg would create a direct route by which Canadian oil sands — one of the most carbon-heavy forms of crude — could reach the global oil market. The environmental movement has acted to oppose Keystone XL en masse, making approval of the pipeline one of the most bitterly disputed issues in U.S politics.

The State Department’s controversial initial draft assessment of the northern leg assumed its climate impact would be minimal, because without the pipeline the oil would simply be shipped by rail. But multiple studies and the heavy investment of Canadian oil producers in the pipeline’s construction belie that assessment.  MORE