You may recall the old black and white movies of the hapless Keystone Cops, who run about frantically in aimless fashion and never seem be able to achieve anything. Whenever I read anything about the Keystone XL Pipeline, I cannot help but think of those grainy images as interested parties, such as environmentalists, unions, Congress, and the Obama Administration, scurry about in every direction and jockey for position and political cover during this election cycle.

The Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a $13 billion investment by TransCanada. The pipeline is designed to transport about 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada to US refining markets. The proposed pipeline will originate in Hardisty, Alberta and extend southeast through Saskatchewan, Montana, and South Dakota to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would tie into an existing pipeline (Keystone Phase II) running to Cushing, Oklahoma. From Cushing, the proposed pipeline will continue to the Port Arthur/Houston area. The project is stated to create about 20,000 ‘shovel-ready’ construction jobs and an additional 118,000 jobs through increased business for local goods and services. Industry support is near universal and even labor and construction unions have expressed support for the project. Continue reading “The Keystone Cop-Out” →