BREAKING: Lame Duck Senate Will Vote To Approve Keystone Pipeline

[NickB79]

77. No, actually, much wouldn't reach market without the pipeline

Between the high cost of moving the oil via train cars and the recent slump in oil prices, tar sands operators could soon find some of their operations no longer cost-effective, initiating a slowdown in oil sands production. A portion of the 830,000 barrels would get moved, but much would eventually be stranded if oil stays below $80/barrel for an extended period.

And once the pipeline is built, it gives an easy way to INCREASE future production quotas through pipeline upgrades and retrofits. Getting a pipeline in place is the hard part; adding a second pipeline next to the first, or enlarging it, becomes simple later on.

You really think they'd stop at 830,000 barrels a day of oil, once they get Keystone in place? There are BILLIONS of barrels of that toxic shit waiting to be ripped from the ground, and so long as it's cost-effective, by God they're gonna keep digging.