A New Analysis of the Keystone XL Pipeline: Global Emissions Would Increase
Summary . Last year President Obama stated that approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport as much as 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Canada to the Gulf Coast , requires a finding that the pipeline be in the national interest. As part of the approval process the U. S. Department of State released an environmental impact statement earlier this year. Its findings and arguments suggest that the pipeline would not have a significant effect on the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions. In a new journal article, however, Erickson and Lazarus conduct a comprehensive lifecycle analysis of the effects of transporting the additional oil, pointing out shortcomings in the Department of State’s environmental analysis. They find that when operating at full capacity, the XL pipeline would increase global oil consumption by 490,000 barrels per day as of 2020, leading to new greenhouse gas emissions that are four times higher...