OSFC New Pamphlet: “Why Americans Say Yes to Keystone XL”
Click here to view and download the: “Why Americans Say Yes to Keystone XL” pamphlet.
Today, Oil Sands Fact Check is releasing a fourteen page pamphlet, “Why Americans Say Yes to Keystone XL,” detailing the numerous reasons the American people overwhelmingly want Keystone XL to be built. This new pamphlet is a resource for anyone looking for the facts.
A few highlights from the pamphlet:
- Keystone XL meets President Obama’s climate standard: The State Department has made numerous determinations that Keystone XL will not significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions because Canada will still develop its oil sands. Just last week, IHS CERA released a report which found that Keystone XL will have “no material impact” on greenhouse gas emissions – and if Keystone XL isn’t built, Venezuela will be “the number one beneficiary.”
- Keystone XL will increase national security and energy security: According to the International Energy Agency, North American oil production (particularly oil sands), is sending “shock waves” through global markets slashing U.S. imports from OPEC. Canada is already the United States’ top supplier of imported oil, providing over 28 percent of our crude oil imports – with Keystone XL, the United States could import even more oil from Canada, replacing imports from unstable areas of the world.
- Keystone XL will create thousands of jobs: The State Department has said that Keystone XL will support 42,100 American jobs: “Including direct, indirect, and induced effects, the proposed Project would potentially support approximately 42,100 average annual jobs across the United States over a 1 to 2-year construction period” and will put $2 billion in workers’ pockets. Not even included in that number are the 4,000 jobs that have already been created by the construction of the “southern leg” of Keystone XL. The job creation won’t stop after construction: the Canadian Energy Research Institute predicts that Keystone XL will create 117,000 new U.S. jobs over the next 15 years which can be attributed to oil sands development linked to the project.
- Keystone XL will provide safe and environmentally sound transportation of oil sands crude: Pipelines are widely acknowledged to be among the safest and most efficient means of moving energy products overland for long distances. A report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that diluted bitumen (one of the kinds of oil that will be transported by the Keystone XL pipeline) is no more corrosive than any other kind of crude oil and therefore not more likely to spill from a pipeline.
- Oil sands will be developed whether or not Keystone XL is built: As the State Department, numerous notable Canadian and American officials, and now IHS CERA have confirmed, Canadian oil sands will be developed and transported, either by other pipelines or by rail, regardless of whether the Keystone XL pipeline is built.
As Keystone XL opponents continue their attempts to construct an alternate reality around Keystone XL, the facts are so obvious that 70 percent of Americans have said they want the pipeline to be built; unions have rallied at the White House to tell President Obama to approve the pipeline and create tens of thousands of jobs; editorial boards across the country have written in support of Keystone XL; and even Congress – Democrats and Republicans – have come together to pass bipartisan legislation to approve the pipeline.
Given the facts on Keystone XL – that it will not significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions, that it will support tens of thousands of jobs, spur economic growth, and allow us to achieve true energy security – it’s no wonder that Americans overwhelmingly say yes!
Click here to view and download the: “Why Americans Say Yes to Keystone XL” pamphlet.
