Keystone XL North: TransCanada's Controversial Shale Gas Export Pipeline Plan

picture-7018-1583982147.png
on

The battle continues over the future of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, with the Tar Sands Blockade continuing and a large forthcoming President’s Dayย anti-Keystone XL rallyย set to take place in Washington, DC.

In a nutshell: Keystone XL, if approved by the U.S. State Department, will carry viscous and dirty tar sands crude – also known as diluted bitumen or โ€œdilbitโ€ – from Alberta, Canada down to Port Arthur, TX. From Port Arthur, the tar sands crude will be exported to the global market.ย 

Muddying the waters on the decision is the fact thatย The Calgary Herald recently revealed that prospective Secretary of State, John Kerry, has financial investments in two tar sands corporations:ย Suncor and Cenovus. Kerry has $750,000 invested in Suncor and anotherย $31,000 invested inย Cenovus.ย 

Which of course all begs the question: Is this another episode of State Department Oil Services all overย again?

North America’s Shale Gas Industry’s Keystone XL

North of the border, TransCanada is proposing another export pipeline for the shale gasย industry.

Dubbed theย Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, the $5.1 billion project will carry gas obtained via the controversial fracking processย from theย Montney Shale basinย westward to the coast of British Columbia. From there, the gas will be exported in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia starting inย 2018.

โ€œGas producers in British Columbiaโ€™s Montney Shale, far from North American population centers, are seeking Asian markets for the heating and power-plant fuel,โ€ theย Houston Chronicle‘s โ€œFuel Flexโ€ explained.ย 

US Debate Over Shale Gas Exports Alsoย Continues

Meanwhile, south of the border, debate continues over the future of U.S. gasย markets.

On Jan. 24, the comment period closes for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) study on LNG exports.

That study, contracted out to the oil, gas and coalย industry-friendly NERA Economic Consultingย concluded that exports are a net benefit for the U.S. economically. Theย Sierra Club has filed a Freedom of Information Actย to discern how the Obama DOE went about choosing NERA as theย contractor.ย ย 

โ€œDeciding to export the U.S. gas supply is a major public decision,โ€ Deb Nardone, director of the Sierra Clubโ€™s Beyond Natural Gas Campaign said in a press release. โ€œWe deserve a full and fair conversation about it. Thatโ€™s why we deserve to know how and why DOE picked this anti-environmental, pro-corporate consultant for this crucialย report.โ€

On top of its looming decision on the Keystone XL, it’s likely that the Obama Administration will make a final decision on whether or not to greenlight shale gas exports sometime in 2013.ย ย 

Though it’s still the dead of winter, the policy agenda is about to heat up in the energy and environment policy arenas inside the Beltway in the comingย weeks.ย 

Photo Credit: ShutterStock |ย Garyย Whitton

picture-7018-1583982147.png
Steve Horn is the owner of the consultancy Horn Communications & Research Services, which provides public relations, content writing, and investigative research work products to a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit clients across the world. He is an investigative reporter on the climate beat for over a decade and former Research Fellow for DeSmog.

Related Posts

on

Who is funding โ€˜Energy Unitedโ€™? Connections to CAPP, the Saskatchewan Party, and Albertaโ€™s environment minister Rebecca Schulz offer some clues.

Who is funding โ€˜Energy Unitedโ€™? Connections to CAPP, the Saskatchewan Party, and Albertaโ€™s environment minister Rebecca Schulz offer some clues.
on

The Reform UK leader reiterated false climate claims at Jordan Petersonโ€™s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event in London.

The Reform UK leader reiterated false climate claims at Jordan Petersonโ€™s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event in London.
on

The Trump appointee and fossil fuel executive called the transition to renewable energy โ€œlunacyโ€ at an event packed with climate science deniers.

The Trump appointee and fossil fuel executive called the transition to renewable energy โ€œlunacyโ€ at an event packed with climate science deniers.
on

A list of attendees viewed by DeSmog shows fossil fuel companies represented alongside major religious right groups at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event.

A list of attendees viewed by DeSmog shows fossil fuel companies represented alongside major religious right groups at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event.