U.S. poised to slurp up more of Canada's dirtiest oil

[unhappycamper]

U.S. poised to slurp up more of Canada's dirtiest oil
By Renee Schoof | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Wednesday, December 8, 2010

WASHINGTON — At the climate talks under way at the Mexican beach resort of Cancun, the U.S. has assured the world it's not backing away from its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, however, the State Department looks likely to approve a pipeline that would increase the use of one of the dirtiest forms of oil.

That oil would flow from Canada's oil sands in Alberta, where the northern forest is cut so that giant trucks can scrape up black sand containing bitumen, an extra-heavy crude. The Environmental Protection Agency figures that that bitumen requires so much energy to extract and refine that it produces 82 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than average U.S. crude from the time it's mined until it ends up in a car's gasoline tank.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in October that she was inclined to approve the pipeline, known as Keystone XL. The $7 billion line would be a major expansion. The Bush administration approved two other Keystone segments.

The new pipeline would bring oil sands crude from Alberta through Saskatchewan, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, where it would end up in terminals on the Gulf Coast.

Environmentalists have opposed the oil sands for many reasons — air and water pollution, health risks to people living downstream, and the loss of wetlands and forest. Another key objection is that the oil sands expansion results in an increase of heat-trapping emissions at a time when the world is trying to reduce them.

[Nodak]

1. Good!

Anything that will cut imports from the middle east.

[Arctic Dave]

2. No, not good.

You don't know jack shit about oil production. We need to be developing, if anything, gas production.

[polly7]

4. Bad!

Our environment is being ruined producing this dirty oil.

[hobbit709]

5. Most of our oil doesn't come from the Middle East in the first place.

And reduction of consumption would do more for the environment and for our economy that importing even dirtier oil.

[CanSocDem]

3. Curb your appetite...(eom)