Keystone XL pipeline - Essay Example

March Keystone XL pipeline In the contemporary age, there is scar of jobs in America. Although the economic crisis that started in 2008 is over to a large extent, yet its impact upon the American economy can still be seen in terms of lack of jobs and increase of poverty. This paper analyzes different impacts of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and approves the idea of execution of the project. While the gravity of seriousness of the phenomena like global warming and preservation of nature for the future generations is debatable, there is no lack of surety about the need to create jobs for the existing generations in America.

“351 major infrastructure projects in the United States are caught up in regulatory or public acceptance hurdles (sometime the former triggered by the latter), including almost every kind of energy infrastructure imaginable from coal mining to transmission lines to solar or wind power generation facilities” (Ladislaw and Pumphrey). Besides, even if the project is rejected, the problem is not over as America still has to deal with a lot of issues. However, if it is accepted, it will give a boost to the American economy.

The Perryman Group is a company of economic analysts in the USA who conducted an independent study and found that the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would create an estimated 50000 spin-off and construction jobs which would range for at least a year in Texas alone. In addition to that, the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would create many opportunities of employment indirectly. Above 250000 permanent jobs for Americans would be created by a permanent increase in the supply of oil.

The annual expenditures in the USA would be increased by US$100 billion (Minicucci). What further justifies the US reliance upon the oil reserves in Canada is the fact that there are some two trillion barrels of oil in the sands in Canada which is eight times as much oil as is found in the reserves in Saudi Arabia (Minicucci). The Alberta oilsands are a huge source of jobs in Canada. More than 140,000 jobs can be attributed to the Alberta oilsands. Thus, approval of the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would break the USA free of its economic dependency upon the Middle East to a large extent.

Environmentalists have opposed the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline because it would prove a potential risk to a huge aquifer. There is a lot of subjectivity in the estimated risks. The environmentalists are “hell-bent on stopping the pipeline and, as a result, keeping the nation’s recovery at the pace of a turtle with paralyzed hind legs” (McCarty). Concluding, economic recovery is the biggest challenge in front of contemporary America. The rest are secondary issues. In light of the points discussed in this paper, it can be concluded that the pros of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline outweigh the assumed cons.

Hence, President Obama should approve the permit request to construct the Keystone XL pipeline. Works Cited:Ladislaw, Sarah O. and Pumphrey, David. “Much Ado about a Pipeline.” 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2012. .McCarty, K. “Pros and Cons of Keystone XL Pipeline.” The Conservative Journal. 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2012. . Minicucci, Daniela. “Pros and cons of the Keystone XL pipeline project.” Global News. 6 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2012. .