The Keystone XL pipeline faces unions and environmentalists in U.S.
The construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico faces strong U.S. pressure groups for and against, and the latter staged a protest today outside the White House.
The project being implemented by the Canadian company, TransCanada has the opposition of environmental groups, led by activist Bill McKibben, who are now plans to “encircle” the White House to denounce the impact of the pipeline in the economy and the environment.
But with equal force, labor groups have launched an advertising campaign and pressure to sing the virtues of the project, which in his opinion will help to create jobs when America needs it most.
Thus, the pipeline, which will stretch 2,735 miles to transport oil from Alberta (Canada) to the Texas coast, is emerging as a major test for President Barack Obama, who has to balance environmental protection and interest by encouraging the creation of jobs in the U.S..
For now, neither side can predict with certainty the fate of the project, which U.S. authorities could create at least 5,000 jobs just in the construction sector in the U.S., for each year of its implementation.
Last Friday, the State Department spokesman, Victoria Nuland, said the federal agency is working in an “open, transparent and complete” in the analysis of the project and did not rule out the possibility that the decision on the matter does not arrive before January, 2012.
For supporters of the project, however, any delay will only increase the costs of the pipeline, currently estimated at about 7,000 million dollars.
According to the unions argue, and create jobs, will reduce U.S. dependence on oil from troubled regions like the Middle East, while adding, Canada is an ally, with a stable government and is currently the main supplier U.S. oil.
For critics of Keystone XL, benefits by creating jobs is insignificant compared to the environmental damage they cause, especially by an increase in the emission of gases and the destabilization of coastal ecosystems.
They add that the pipeline would increase the cost of gasoline to redirect the excess oil in the central region.
Category: Business News
