Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letters to the Editor:

Pipeline is a danger

Another oil leak on the Keystone XL pipeline is being investigated. Why has this become a problem over the past few years?

President Barack Obama turned down this project because he felt it would undermine our fight on climate change. Today, the workers on this project would be better utilized in fixing our natural gas transmission pipelines, which would create more jobs and help cut down on carbon emissions.

Studies have shown that the process for extracting the tar-sands oil being piped in from Canada and making it usable creates several times more carbon pollution than extraction and refinement of convention crude oil.

The pipeline also runs through the Ogallala aquifer, which provides drinking water for millions of Americans. No waterways or aquifers have been declared contaminated at this time, but will we be so lucky with the next one? All it takes is one spill, and we will have disaster on our hands.

The Keystone XL pipeline project needs to be re-evaluated for safety and overall effectiveness.