Keystone

Keystone XL Pipeline is a 36 inch in diameter pipeline, that will potentially run through three Canadian providences, as well as nine states. If the fourth section is built, it will carry crude oil, the dirtiest form of oil into the United States from Canada in an effort to reduce America's reliance on other nations for oil. It will not only harm the environment drastically but also the economy, citizens, and much more. Plus, TransCanada has been involved in multiple scams, so can we even trust them?

One of the main environmental concerns about the pipeline, is that if the fourth section is built, and it goes into full use, there will be a 12-17% increase in greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to the fact that we will be extracting oil sands (a type of crude oil) instead of typical oil. With the climate already in the position it is, we cannot afford any increase in green house gas emissions without serious consequences.

Additionally, there is the risk of spills that would potentially contaminate water supplies, the air, and hurt wildlife. Although TransCanada claims that there will be little to no spills, any ones only spilling a few gallons, the current sections, have spilled 12 times within the last year, one of which, spilled approximately 21,000 gallons. This is just one example of TransCanada lying to cover up the consequences of Keystone.

The final environmental effect, is that the use of oil sands or tar sands, completely goes against America's commitment to clean energy, setting a bad example, and even preventing it from ever actually going into effect. 

However, there are more than just environmental problems that go along with Keystone, if the fourth section is built, there will also be economic issues. One of these issues, is that, if the pipeline is finished, the price of oil will rise excessively. Plus, there will not be nearly as many jobs as TransCanada stated, which I will write about more later on.

But that's not all! The construction of the pipeline will also have negative effects on many people. Native Americans, especially, will suffer from the pipeline, as their sacred sites could be damaged, and many health risks would arise. The extension of Keystone runs through multiple of their historical and cultural sites, destroying them. Additionally, they are quite conventional and catch fish, that would be poisoned during potential spills, to eat as a main part of their diet.

TransCanada has also been involved in multiple scams, some of which, I briefly mentioned above. These scams include overstating the amount of jobs, covering up spills, as well as bribing and threatening others. While TransCanada stated that there would be 20,000 jobs available, President Obama himself, said that there would probably only be 2,000 jobs for the 2 years Keystone was being built, and then that would reduce to only 50-100 jobs afterward. While this is understatement, research has proven that there will probably only be about 2,600 to 4,650 temporary jobs, still much less than what TransCanada said. They also said that there would be few to no spills, and any that did occur would only spill a little, but as I mentioned previously, this was not true.

Also, they had paid an environmental association to write a false report about the effects building the pipeline would have on the environment. Plus they threatened land-owners that wouldn't give up their land. Finally, TransCanada lied about America reducing the amount it relies on other nations for oil, as most of the oil will be going outside of the United States. This undermines one of the main purposes of the pipeline!

Although there are some temporary benefits, the overall consequences are horrible, yet, believe it or not, 65% of Americans believe it should be built! However, people are taking action to prevent the fourth, and final, section to be built. Below is a petition you can sign to take action. You can even personalize your message using the information you have learned.

https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=487747C616D89DA8165D6947D144F043.app207a?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=12467&autologin=true&s_src=214BBOAN05

Next Week: Vegetarian Recipes!

Fun Crossword I Made

Hey Everyone! Here is a fun crossword that I made to test your knowledge about my blog! All the answers are in my previous blog posts from December to now. You can print it out, and there are answers on the sheet...but please, only look if you're truly stumped. Enjoy!

If there are any suggestions you have for other fun games, please write them in the comments :) 

http://edtools.mankindforward.com/crosswords/242101/generate 

Spring forward fall back

Although, we are already quite a bit past "Spring forward", the question still remains, does daylight savings conserve energy? Day light savings was created by Benjamin Franklin in an effort to save  candles, and was kept later on as it was found that day light savings saved electricity. However, nowadays, with heating and new electronics, day light savings might actually increase our usage of energy as a whole. When investigating the difference between Indiana's electricity usage before and after daylight savings took full effect. We learned that in fact, with daylight savings, there was a 1% increase in electricity usage. Only a little right? Well 1% is actually equivalent to an extra 9 million dollars. This is because even though there is less need for lighting, there is a higher demand for temperature controlling (IE heating and cooling). However, contrary to that experiment, another one in 2007 (when daylight savings happen 3 weeks earlier). In this second experiment, there was practically no effect on the national energy usage. Additionally, research has found that there is an increased amount of heart attacks, possibly caused by the disruption of typical daily patterns such as sleep patterns. Overall, there are multiple theories about whether daylight savings is "good" or "bad", and we don't yet know the answer. So, what do you think? 

For more information (includes other research results), check out http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-daylight-saving-times-save-energy/?page=

Next week: More about Keystone, also possibly a crossword