What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?
The 1,700-mile long Keystone XL Pipeline would connect the Alberta oil sand fields in Canada to refineries in Texas. The multi-billion dollar project is being proposed by TransCanada, a Canadian energy company. TransCanada has been attempting to get a permit for the pipeline for over three years. The proposed line would travel through six U.S. states: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The line would cross through 16 counties in North and East Texas. The pipeline itself would be 36 inches around.
Since the pipeline crosses international borders, TransCanada needs to obtain a Presidential Permit through the State Department for construction of the portion of the pipeline that goes from Canada to the U.S.
On February 27, 2012, TransCanada announced it would start construction on a section of its Keystone XL pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas...