Originally Posted by djs
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline's (KP) claims there will be 9,000 jobs created, but according to KP's filing with the State Department (the pipeline is an international endeavor and so requires the filing), about 50 permanent jobs (control operators) and about 3,500-4,500 temporary construction jobs will be created. Maintenance and repairs will be contracted out to existing companies, so few new jobs will be created, according to the filing. These numbers are contained in their filing.

Regardless, my big concern is that the legislation authorizing the KP in the US is that the KP is specifically exempt for any damages that a leak or blowout might cause. Since 1990, there have been approximately 5,800 incidents in which oil/ natural gas has been ejected from pipelines in the US alone. About 300 deaths have been attributed to these spills. Following one major spill in the early 1980�s, the owners refused to clean-up the spill, the clean-up costs (about $200 million) were paid by the US taxpayer and, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund was created. For each barrel of oil shipped, the pipeline pays $0.08 (eight cents per 42 gallons of crude) into the fund. See: http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/About_NPFC/osltf.asp

Trans-Canada�s tar sands oil will not be required to contribute toward the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. See: http://mnpoliticalroundtable.com/20...ability-trust-fund/#sthash.ejlnsCkK.dpuf

Also, the tar sand oil is not free-flowing; it is a solid that must be melted (using steam produced by burning refined product) and diluted with benzene and other chemicals (that later be removed). Benzene is a carcinogen and if it spills onto land or waterways, is nasty to clean-up.

If a spill does occur and the KP has not paid into the fund, who will pick up the tab? For these reasons, I have major concerns with the Keystone Pipeline (regardless of their PR hype).


Your source is clearly biased. First, I don't see a footnote or source regarding the alleged 300 deaths.

Next yes there may only be 50 new jobs for the pipeline operator, but those contractors will need to hire to accommodate their new demand. In addition your source ignores the refining jobs, shipping jobs, exports jobs, plus all the management and administrative job that go along with such endeavors. To suggest a net result of only 50 new jobs is a liberal myth.

You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.

You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell