Recognize the Ethical Issue The proponents of the pipeline include TransCanada, other companies that will connect into the pipeline to transport their product and companies that will benefit financially from the construction of the pipeline. Persons that will benefit from present and future employment also support the pipeline. Opponents include environmentalists and landowners along the path. The ethical dilemma is that companies, including TransCanada, have the right to operate and transport their product to market so they can generate a profit. The health and future of these companies and the jobs people enjoy from employment with them are at risk. The affected landowners have rights due to ownership. The environment should be protected …show more content…
A new northern leg, the Keystone XL pipeline, was proposed in 2008 by TransCanada, the company that will own and operate the pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline was vetoed by President Obama in November, 2015. TransCanada is suing the Obama administration to recover damages. Opponents of the pipeline state the reasons against it include increased global warming with a calculated financial impact of -2.5% to the U.S. GDP from events due to global warming. Tar oil has been described as the “dirtiest fuel” so environmental impacts include air and land pollution and impact to species in the pipeline’s path. Mining of the tar oil has negative impacts on flora and fauna due to waste. Possible damage to drinking water and the cleanup problems associated with tar oil due to its characteristics are a concern. Finally the acidic nature of the tar oils makes spills more likely and approval of the pipeline will hinder more environmentally friendly energy sources. Landowners in the path of the pipeline do not wish to be forced to acquiesce by eminent domain. Proponents of the pipeline state positives, including job creation to the tune of 42,000 jobs, U. S. energy security and North American energy independence. Supporters suggest The Keystone XL pipeline will increase U.S. GDP by $3 million. Studies have discounted the added pollution threat because there is no …show more content…
As with most complex issues where many competing rights are at odds the compromise is generally the best course of action. It is the right thing to do so the virtue ethic is obtained. Ethical examination of the pipeline going forward begins with my worldview. I personally have seen pipe installed in the ground with leak prevention and detection technologies to make it safe. Oil and gas is transported safely in pipelines throughout North America. I also have built tank cars and trailers that have transported products safely all over North America. My worldview supports this hybrid compromise. My intuition tells me the hybrid solution is correct. The compromise solution can be further supported by the 56% approval of the pipeline based on poles of Americans. Researching this issue yielded many issues that only clouded the ethical conflict. These included arguments for and against the pipeline based on its effect on the U.S. gross domestic product. U.S. energy security and North American energy independence was argued by proponents. The pipeline’s negative effect on alternative energy development was presented by opponents. A conflict of interest was suggested in that the consulting firm that performed the environmental impact study for the U. S State Department had oil industry clients, including TransCanada. One group proposed that it is more ethical to get oil from democratic states versus states with oppressive
The people against the pipeline believe that the pipelines would cause the release of gases into the air that could be harmful to other people. A utilitarian approach to this situation would be to not create the pipelines because there are more cons than pros.
no easy situation to address. Is it worth BC’s approval to build the pipeline, when it
“Urge the Senate to Stop the Risky Keystone XL Pipeline”. Letter. League of Conservation of Voters. Change.org. Web. 10 December 2013
With our understanding that the pipeline is safe, and there are safety precautions in place if anything ever did happen. That it is the best economical way to transport this oil. And finally our need for this oil s huge and it will be huge for a long time unless we start the process of building nuclear power right now; even in that case we still have about 15 years before that is ready to take the work load of British Columbia. Even when we have a different sustained energy we will still have the need for oil due to the fact that’s cars are the main moat of transportation in the lower main land. That means we are far away from a province let alone a country that can run without the use of oil. And seeing how to transport it via pipe line is the safest spill wise and most economically friendly it seems to be the better choice.
The Alberta Oil Sands are large deposits of bitumen in north-eastern Alberta. Discovered in 1848, the first commercial operation was in 1967 with the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant opening, and today many companies have developments there. The Alberta Oil Sand development is very controversial, as there are severe environmental impacts and effects on the local Aboriginal peoples. This essay will discuss the need for changes that can be made for the maximum economic benefit for Canada, while reducing the impact on the environment and limiting expansion, as well as securing Alberta’s future. Changes need to be made to retain the maximum economic benefits of the Alberta Oil Sands while mitigating the environmental and geopolitical impact. This will be achieved by building pipelines that will increase the economic benefits, having stricter environmental regulation and expansion limitations, and improving the Alberta Heritage Fund or starting a new fund throu...
The concept of eminent domain is the condemnation of property for the public’s well being or good for private use is not the original intention and should not be used in this way. Private corporations and individuals are using the initial purpose was for the acquisition of land for the building of railroads and highways. The use of eminent domain has changed over the years by law, government and legal interpretations. These changes have allowed private interest groups to petition the state and local governments for eminent domain to be declared on property where the owners refuse to sell. Each states position on eminent domain is decided by the legislature and the voters of the state for use by private corporations and individuals. The claim by the corporations and individuals is that there projects is for the good of the public which plays of the condemnation of property and roads of being for the public’s well being. The use of eminent domain for the acquisition of land to build the Keystone Pipeline does not fall within the confines of for the public’s well being.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Imagine the world not as how it is now, but as how people wish it could be. There is no pollution, everyone has a job, the world is at peace and a safe place to live, and most importantly, everyone is happy. This is but a mere dream. Now open your eyes and look at it. See the reality of what the world truly is: we are intentionally hurting the environment, many people in the world are unemployed, many different countries are at war and people are dying because of it.
This paper will discuss the effects of Keystone XL Pipeline project and how the findings of the research might be beneficial to the United States. The first point of argument will be the negative impact of the Keystone Pipeline to America’s economy and the environment. The second point of view will be the positive impact of Keystone Pipeline to America’s economy. Keystone XL Pipeline is TransCanada’s tar-sand transportation project. The pipeline is supposed to cut across America to be linked with Canada’s tar-sand mines. It is aimed at increasing energy security in America. However, the project has received a lot of criticism from both the citizens and environmentalists for climate reasons (Mendelsohn and Dinar 154). To understand the implications of Keystone XL Pipeline, it is important to look at its environmental and economic impacts to the United States.
The Keystone XL pipeline continues dividing the opinion of the people and being a controversial issue. The precious “black gold”, represents one of the main factors that moves the economy, nationally and globally. This extra-long pipeline will transport oil all the way from Canada to Texas. Some experts and the private oil corporation, who is the one in charge of this project, point to the benefits of this project, for example, will make the USA more independent from foreign oil, will create thousands of jobs and improve the economy. Nevertheless, are experts revealing how the pipeline is an unnecessary risk and will be negative for the environment, dangerous for the population living close to the big pipes, and long-term negative for the
Almost every single nation in our world today, the United States included, is extremely reliant on oil and how much of it we can obtain. Wars have started between countries vying for control of this valuable natural resource. The United States as a whole has been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign oil and has had some success, especially with the discovery of the Bakken formation and projects like the Keystone Pipeline. Projects like the Keystone Pipeline are important as they will allow us to transport more oil than we would be able to in train cars, and grant larger access to oil reserves in the United States and Canada. The Keystone Pipeline itself is an oil pipeline which runs from the western Canadian sedimentary basin in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the United States.
In most ways people think that the pipeline industry is all for itself,and in its process it destroys the enviroment.In fact there are protests and riots happening often, to say the least.People also hop on the bandwagon saying that the industry should be protested for its safety hazards.In this paper I will explain how the industry takes every precaution to prevent environmental and personal harm and what they can actually do for you if the right of way runs through your land.
They felt they haven't been "properly consulted", and they felt none of their concerns were met with any real analysis or consideration. The People of Plateau are going to challenge it through legal remedies. Even though, some of First Nations have signed a mutual-benefit agreements with the owner of the pipeline. The People of Plateau and the people of other First Nations was looking for a degree of respect that is so far absent from the federal and provincial governments as well as Kinder Morgan, the owner of the
The North Dakota and Keystone pipeline leaked and a majority of oil spilled and caused a lot of damage . The governor of Dakota and two other congressmen have let Obama build the new pipeline on The Standing Rocks Sioux . The pipeline is being built on sacred land granted to The Oceti Sakowin (Sioux )Tribe by treaty. Although some people believe that the pipeline will do a great cause and help create jobs ; Meanwhile others believe that this will have a big effect on the peoples water supply and cause more problems than actually helping the circumstances
In this essay we will be looking at why the Keystone XL Pipeline should not be built. This is a hot controversial issue that has been in the news for awhile. We will discuss the pros and cons of what will happen if the United States passes legislature to allow the Keystone XL Pipeline to be built. You have to ask yourself if destroying the environment is for our children is worth it to make a few billions richer or maybe little bit cheaper gas. If you agree with building the Keystone XL Pipeline you need to look your children in the eyes and tell them you’re sorry for destroying the environment for them and their children.
When we look at Enbridge’s Line 9 and the pipeline carrying oil substance that it was not initially designed for we can apply the discipline of environmental sociology and dismember the different aspects and analyze them individually to understand how outcomes are produced. Environmental sociology, in regards to Line 9 addresses the social relations between some of the major towns and cities that the pipe runs through and explains how capitalism forms the base of environmental deterioration as financial income and wealth accumulation are often factors that receive more recognition. The familiar understanding of the Line 9 is that the government and city officials declare that it is safely distributing oil, when in reality, when we as sociologists observe and record that it is providing more societal concerns than it is claiming. This can be obtained through an examination of the numerous health affects that are presented through documentaries, such as residents suffering from seizures, and the arrest of a gentlemen who displayed signs of insanity and madness (Line 9, Film). It is at this point where it can be understood that environmental sociology helps us recognize human diversity and the challenges of living in a diverse world through the examination of human behavior and action towards environmental concerns. In the documentary, This Changes Everything, we are shown that fossil fuels are a growing concern that is attracting the attention of local residents who acknowledge that we are all sharing a common atmospheric space that needs attention from all individuals on all different social and economic levels (This Changes Everything, Film). When environmental