Based in Calgary, TransCanada Corporation, Canada's second largest pipeline company patiently awaits a ruling on the Keystone XL pipeline. The ruling is expected to be made by the end of the first quarter of 2014.
The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposed 1,179 mile, 36 inch-diameter crude oil pipeline beginning in Hardisty, Alberta, Canada and extending south to Steele City, Nebraska. The pipeline will transport crude oil from Canada along with crude oil from producers in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana.
The pipeline will have the capacity to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day (bbl/d) to Midwest and Gulf Coast oil refineries. This will reduce American dependence on oil from the Middle East and Venezuela by up to 40 percent.
Currently the U.S. is consuming approximately 15 million barrels of oil per day and nearly 60 percent of that is being imported from other countries.
According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), one-quarter of Keystone XL's capacity has been dedicated to transporting light crude oil produced in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana.
Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline project will require approximately 9,000 skilled American workers including: welders, electricians, laborers, pipefitters, mechanics, heavy equipment operators, safety coordinators and others. An additional 7000 U.S. jobs will be supported in manufacturing of steel pipe, fittings, valves, pumps and control devices.
The pipeline will cross the Canada-U.S. border near the Port of Morgan in Phillips County, MT. It would run southeast to a point near Baker where an on-ramp would send oil from the Bakken towards South Dakota and Nebraska to Gulf Coast refineries. The planned route will run through six counties in Montana.
Montana's U.S. House of Representative Steve Daines said, "As the pipeline passes through, more than 800 good-paying jobs in Montana will be created and thousands more across the nation."
More than 165 top business leaders wrote to U.S. President Barack Obama and urged him to approve the pipeline, citing the benefits to the economy. One business leader stated, "Approving this investment will send a powerful signal of this administration's commitment to getting America back to work."
FACTS
• 329 miles of the pipeline will run through Canada
• 850 miles of the pipeline will run through the U.S.
• 36 inch diameter pipeline
• Capacity of 830,000 barrels of oil per day
• Projected in service date of 2015
Reader Comments(0)