Keystone XL? What Keystone XL? Canada quietly approves alternate propsed pipeline (Dated 10/14/14)

[Eridenus]

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/10/14/keystone-xl-dead/

In what may be the death knell for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, the Canadian government of Stephen Harper has approved a purely Canadian pipeline to transport the Alberta tar sands to ships waiting to send it overseas. By eliminating the pipeline which would run across the nations largest aquifer, the environmental concerns raised over Keystone XL would evaporate immediately. It handily avoids the aquifers in Canada to boot, being east of the Paskapoo Formation in Alberta, running north of the Oak Ridges Moraine Aquifer System near Toronto, and ending before reaching the Annapolis-Cornwallis Valley Aquifers in Nova Scotia. Clearly, TransCanada has learned from its mistakes in the handling of Keystone XL.

The name of this Keystone XL killer pipeline? Energy East.



To accomplish this, TransCanada would convert approximately 3,000 kilometers of existing natural gas pipeline to transporting tar sands. This is only small part of Canada’s over 480,000 kilometres natural gas transportation and distribution network, but it does mean a shifting of distribution as it would reduce the capacity of a critical west-east link in the distribution network. This has brought significant criticism of the plan over this capacity reduction. In their defense, TransCanada is quick to point out that the link is significantly underutilized, so the conversion of some of it to tar sands should not cause any disruption.

By switching from an international to a purely Canadian pipeline, TransCanada has neatly bypassed the issues raised by those with concerns here in the US. This new pipeline had previously been opposed based on the higher cost associated, but with the delays have in effect forced TransCanada’s hand. Of course, they have put their best face forward, dismissing concerns over the environment and communities impacted, just as they did with Keystone XL.

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Much ado about nothing. Forget the Keystone XL proposal, Forget Landrieu.

[Roselma]

1. Viability is questionable at the current price of a

barrel of oil: http://www.cnbc.com/id/102181913?trknav=homestack:topnews:1

Economics no longer make Keystone pipeline viable

[nykym]

2. so why are we having

a vote on this?

Don't any of the congress critters read the writing on the wall?

[Roselma]

3. Politics. It is a "show vote". Landrieu

is in a run off. She figures that a vote will help her with her constituents. Even then, Obama could veto the bill or demand all sorts of concessions in other areas in order to sign the bill.

When the cost of a barrel of oil increases again, the viability of the pipeline will be re-assessed.

[RoverSuswade]

4. Landrieu is going to lose anyway.

Her vote for the KXL is like baking cookies for Santa Claus before he flies right over your roof without stopping.

[cascadiance]

5. Using this to help stop Keystone here also might help Canadians later too...

Saying "we don't need to do this" and hopefully keeping Transcanada from buying off our pols to get this passed for our Keystone Pipeline, might also put that much more pressure from Canadians to get rid of Harper's government later too when their elections come up. He's not exactly the most popular Canadian leader now, and that is a good thing.

http://www.ekospolitics.com/index.php/2014/08/political-landscape-turning-bleak-for-stephen-harper/

[Cha]

6. Thanks Eridenus.. this OP was linked to me on my

thread about Keystone..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025813509