Keystone XL Debate

You are all on President Obama’s team to decide if approving the building of the Keystone XL

pipeline will be in the “national interest.” The President has tasked some of you to look into advantages of the pipeline, and others of you to look into disadvantages.

In class, you will be asked to look at a specific group of issues related to the pipeline proposal from a pro or con side. Here are some points to consider. This is not an exhaustive list, but should give you plenty to talk about:

1.  General

Where would it be? How would it be constructed?

2.  Economics

·  What would it cost?

·  What construction jobs would it provide at the terminus in TX (refinery, shipping, etc.), in Canada, or elsewhere along the pipeline?

·  Would the Keystone XL Pipeline lower gas prices?

·  What is the environmental cost/benefit analysis of moving oil with pipelines compared to other methods of transporting it (tankers)?

·  What is the impact of the pipeline on the development/extraction of the tar sands? Environmentally speaking, is this a resource we should be using more of, or less of? (This question is obviously very important for APES.)

3.  Safety-Water pollution/oil spills,

·  What threat (if any) does the pipeline create to the Ogallala/High Plains aquifers from pipeline leaks/spills?

·  What threat (if any) does the pipeline create to other water bodies from pipeline leaks/spills?

·  What is the environmental safety history of similar pipelines or pipelines put in by the same company?

·  Who would pay for a spill? How effective would it be or could it be cleaned up?

4.  Climate change

·  Climate change – how would this pipeline affect Canada’s and the United States’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

·  Describe some of the environmental impacts from Climate Change from burning oil (ex, sea level rise, increase in storms, ocean acidification, glaciers, and biodiversity changes)

·  As an energy source how clean (greenhouse gas producing) is this source related to others? What about other air pollutants that might be produced?

5.  National security/miscellaneous.

·  Does the pipeline give the US a source of oil from a politically stable, “friendly” neighbor?

·  Who actually consumes the oil out of the pipeline?

·  If the pipeline doesn’t get built, will the tar sands get developed the same anyway? How will they sell the oil in that case?

·  Could the pipeline affect the risk of terrorism (both abroad and to the pipeline itself – is it a target?)

You and your group need to be well versed in all aspects of this topic. You should come to class with a presentation that contains notes, links to resources, figures, and whatever else you need to help you explain why the pipeline is OR isn’t a good idea. Your group should be sure to have a few arguments (with figures/graphics, references for support) for each of the four topics listed above. You should have references available for any factual claims you make, and factual claims are much more persuasive than general opinions.

In class on ______, each group will present their arguments for or against another group arguing the opposite. The class can ask questions and add ideas to your topic after you have presented. After the groups have presented both for and against, the students watching will vote on whether the project should be approved or not based on your groups presentations of facts.

You will be given a grade based on your preparation (visual aid prepared), and another grade based on your in-class participation.

Here are some resources to get you started. You should certainly use more than these.

An introduction to the debate, from the NY Times: Read all the Debaters Points

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/10/03/what-are-the-risks-of-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-project

Tar Sands Action – a leading opponent of the pipeline

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/keystone-xl-facts/

TransCanada – wants to build the pipeline

http://www.transcanada.com/keystone.html

Congressional Research Service – Keystone XL Pipeline –Key Issues for and against

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41668.pdf