Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The United States Debate For Tragedy

Extracting from Canada's oil sands is one of America's top sources of imported oil. The Obama Administration is reviewing a Canadian company's request to build a new 2,000mile underground pipeline that would run from Alberta, Conklin to the Texas Gulf Coast, increasing America's access to oil. Deciding this fall the Obama Administration is currently debating the pros and cons, and political appeal to secure a reliable source of oil from our neighbors. Canadian oil sands are expected to become America's top source of imported oil this year, which will slow down deepwater offshore drilling. Two pipelines have been approved already, with one delivering oil to Illinois in June, and if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, the system would allow Canada to export an additional 1.1 billion barrels of oil a day. The disadvantages include most of the biggest production sites are huge mine pits accompanied by ponds of waste that are toxic to birds and fresh water. Extracting oil from sands creates more greenhouse gases than drilling, it requires more water for every barrel produced, and carving chunks from the worlds largest intact boreal forest. It is going to hard enough to monitor the pipes from leaks and maintain upkeep which could infect the groundwater, and one of the nation's main Aquifer. For more opinions & the article.

Submitted By: Jessica Seggman

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