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David White
Major Garriott
ERH 102
5 April 2017
One of the most charged subjects of the past year has been to debate on whether to build the Keystone and Dakota access pipelines. The main problems facing this argument is that neither side is willing to accept that the other side has valid points. While some say that these pipelines will strengthen the United States economy and make it less dependent on foreign oil, the other says they will destroy the local environment and the Native American reservation that is located near the pipeline. Each side of the argument has firm beliefs and has shown an inability to compromise or see the positive points each side can offer. The executive orders passed should not change that fact that there are some major flaws in treatment and construction of these pipelines that should still be discussed by both sides of the argument. The supposed economic benefit of building the pipeline is not enough to warrant the loss of trade with other countries and the threat of creating a costly environmental disaster.
Oil has been one of the biggest diving forces of our governments agenda for years. At the moment, the United States brings in a large amount of oil from the Middle East and Mexico. Without this large source of income, both areas could become very unstable which causes two very different problems for the United States. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is our largest supplier and supporter in the region. Without their help, the two wars, or three if Syria is counted, will become much harder and we might even be pulled into a forth. This is because Yemen, which shares a border with Saudi Arabia, is already deeply divided in civil war. We
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could lose a major ally in a part of the world we are very present. Also, the area is already in turmoil from the terrorist groups that are active in the region. As seen in Iraq after the First Persian Gulf war, having an unstable and weak government is perfect for these groups. The United States went into the area during the war because of oil and now the area has become too reliant on exporting to support their fragile governments. Mexico would also become unstable, leaving us with an even more volatile state at our southern border, leading to more illegal immigration and loss of jobs. Mexico’s oil industry is already falling with the US importing 688,000, down from 1.6 million in 2004. (US energy) One of the Presidents favorite arguments was that the southern border is to soft. This change will cripple Mexico’s economy even more, leading to more immigrants frantically trying to cross the border. As the Energy Information Agency says “Mexican authorities reported that the country exported 1.17 million b/d of crude oil in 2015, a figure that continues to decline. The United States received approximately 59% of Mexico’s crude oil exports, which arrived by tanker” (US energy). Over half of Mexico’s crude oil goes to the United States, making its way to the huge oil refineries on the gulf. Less oil imported would mean less transport costs and could lead to with these points in mind, it is easy to see how taking the United States support out of the region so quickly will hurt the country in the long run.
Construction around oil pipelines tend not to end well. Around the protests about the Dakota Access pipelines, there are already eight other pipelines which could malfunction, leading to another disaster like the BP oil spill. Many do not believe in the detriment to the environment this pipeline will cause, but hopefully everyone can agree that spending billions of dollars in cleanup is something no one wants. 500,000 barrels per day is a lot of oil to clean up
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and a huge danger not only to the environment but to the communities around the pipeline. The construction also goes against the position the country has presented for the last eight years. Whether you agree with the position, it is shared by many of the countries closest allies, including Canada, our biggest importer of oil. Canada imports $288 billion in oil to the United States and has become one of our closest allies. The United States imported 3.4 million b/d of oil and petroleum products from Canada, of which 2.9 million b/d were crude oil, including diluents. While overall U.S. imports of crude oil are declining, Canada is one of the few countries from which U.S. crude oil imports are increasing ”(US energy). An immediate reversal on the treaty the United States spear headed makes us appear divide, weak and ignorant of the relationships we have within the global community.
The President has promised that these pipelines will not only help the big corporations but also the communities that depend on manufacturing to survive. These communities have not seen the profits from earlier pipelines so it remains to be seen how these jobs will be moved from overseas back to the United States. The protests were also not a benefit for the communities, leading to an over one-million-dollar cleanup project.
Both of extremes of this problem have set their expectations to high and both have many holes in their argument. The pipelines will be built, which could lead to less global influence and a costly environmental disaster. The protestors obviously care about the respect shown to the Native Americans and the environment among other points, but left a costly and toxic garbage pile where their camp used to be. These extremes are why we need to tell our representative to find a solution which does both. Whether that be build the pipeline but make it obvious that it is
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to make a cleaner solution or a compromise. Whether this debate will ever be finished it still to be seen but something we can do is let our representative know that it is in the best interest of the country to compromise and show a unified stance to the rest of the world.
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Works Cited
Baker, Peter. “Trump Revives Keystone Pipeline Rejected by Obama.” The New York Times, 24
Jan. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/politics/keystone-dakota-pipeline-trump.html?_r=0
Cobb, Daniel M., editor. “‘We Will Be There to Meet You’ (2013): Armando Iron Elk and Faith
Spotted Eagle.” Say We Are Nations: Documents of Politics and Protest in Indigenous America since 1887, University of North Carolina Press, 2015, pp. 242–244,
“The Dakota Access Pipeline is Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sound.” Dakota Access
Pipeline Facts, 2017, https://daplpipelinefacts.com/
Jones, Christopher F. “Pipelines and Power.” Routes of Power, Harvard University Press, 2014,
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“Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of American Pipelines.” The White House
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“Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.” The White
House Offices of the Press Secretary, 24 Jan. 2017, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/24/presidential-memorandum-regarding-construction-dakota-access-pipeline
“Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.” The White
House Office of the Press Secretary, 24 Jan. 2017, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/24/presidential-memorandum-regarding-construction-keystone-xl-pipeline
“Presidential Memorandum Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for
Domestic Manufacturing.” The White House Office of the Press Secretary, 24 Jan 2017, https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/24/presidential-memorandum-streamlining-permitting-and-reducing-regulatory
“Safety is our top priority.” TransCanada Keystone XL, 2017,
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Simoes, Alexander. “Canada.” OEC – Canada(CAN) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Web. 05 Apr. 2017. http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/sau/
Simoes, Alexander. “Saudi Arabia.” OEC – Saudi Arabia (SAU) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Web. 05 Apr. 2017. http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/can/
“Trump signs executive actions advancing Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.” CBS
News, 24 Jan. 2017, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-executive-actions-advancing-dakota-access-and-keystone-xl-pipelines/
“U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Analysis & Projections – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). US Department of Energy, Web. 05 Apr. 2017.