Pipelines help build nations. It is evident that they are a great benefit to the country of Canada. By investigating the safety of pipelines, along with the countless jobs and improved living standards they offer, it becomes crystal clear that pipelines are advantageous for Canada to construct and maintain. As oil is one the top resources in the entirety of the world, and Canada one of the places with a bountiful supply, pipelines must be built for Canada to reap the benefits of this black gold.
One of the reasons why pipelines are a benefit to Canada is because of they are, by far, “…the safest way to get oil from place to the other” (Goldsworthy, 8). Compared to transportation by rail or sea, pipelines are obviously the best, and safest
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method of the group. For example, studies show that from 2003-2013, 0.227 accidents occurred per million barrels of oil when being transported via rail. On the other hand, when oil was transported via pipeline only 0.049 accidents occurred per million barrels. Based on this data, pipelines are over 2.5 times less likely to spill than rail. And of these rare pipeline occurrences, 99% of them did not result in damage to the environment. This is because numerous regulations are put into place. The federal government has done the research. All pipelines are constantly monitored, many with advanced leak detection systems, with every company devising an emergency plan in case a spill ensues. Each and every pipeline corporation must comply with rules and regulations set by the government. Furthermore, spill sites are required to be restored back to their natural environment, or harsh fines are given out. Moreover, pipelines are not prone to human error, while oil tankers are. In addition, tankers can collide with other ships and run aground in storms. Pipelines offer none of these risks, instead offering mostly autonomous, faultless transport. Based on these facts, pipelines such as “[t]he Kinder Morgan Pipeline [are] not a danger to the B.C. coast” (Penner). Overall, pipelines are far safer than opposing methods, “…failsafe procedures are in place, and improved technology is decreasing the risk of spills.”(Bjaanes). So, why not go with the safer, more efficient method, rather than use decade-old technology and equipment. Another reason pipelines are beneficial to Canada is that they help generate employment for many individuals.
The construction of many pipelines will create jobs on both sides of the border- over 200,000 of them. These jobs will be filled in with a variety of people, including welders and electricians. Finally, young tradespeople will get their chance at skilled, high paying labour. Furthermore, once the new pipelines are in working order, companies will generate more funds, and therefore hire more workers, meaning people like the recently unemployed Albertans may have the hope to work again. In addition, construction of pipelines creates thousands of “spin-off” jobs. Much of the pipeline workforce will spend some of their hefty paychecks in local cities and towns. The workers of the Trans Mountain Pipeline alone are estimated to spend a total of $480 million during the construction phase. Every cent of these millions will be going to places like restaurants, hotels and other local businesses. These businesses will get an influx of demand, and in return, will need to hire more workers. Like a ripple or snowball effect, jobs will continue piling up, solely based upon pipeline construction. With the construction of pipelines, Canada can become an economic leader, implicating that unemployment can be brought to an all-time low. In Canada, it will be like the gold-rush all over again, with hundreds of thousands of jobs opening. All in all, if Canada doesn’t follow any of these …show more content…
job-building projects, they, simply put “… [miss] out on wealth and job opportunity” (Sorenson 43). Lastly, pipelines are valuable to Canada because they improve and maintain living standards for all Canadians.
Today, many people wonder how pipelines are relevant or even how they affect the overall Canadian. Well, without pipelines, many social services would not be operating the same as they are today. In other words, “oil and gas pay the provinces bills” (Smyth). And what transports these vital resources? Pipelines. Moreover, if further pipelines are created, that means social services will be improved, and in turn, living standards will be improved. For instance, when the Northern Gateway pipeline is built, the government will collect $80 billion over thirty years. Similarly, pipelines like the Kinder Morgan will bring the government nearly $50 billion in additional tax money over twenty years. This money goes towards sectors such as social services. The everyday Canadian will experience benefits like improved healthcare, education and infrastructure. Reduced hospital waiting times, lower class size and composition, and the end of rough roads are right around the corner. In addition, some pipelines run through city land, meaning the pipeline companies must pay property tax. This tax money goes to local governments, who in turn, can spend it on anything the town needs. Things like improved infrastructure, trails, or parks are all possibilities of where the money can go. Also, because the government is collecting more tax money, it opens the possibility of lower income
tax. This would make life easier for most Canadians as it reduces a yearly expense. All in all, existing pipelines help maintain the social services in Canada, and if more are built, many Canadians will see an improved way of living. And, on a darker note, if pipeline growth is halted, so is the growth of all Canadians. Whether it be because of their superior safety, job impact, or their effect on everyday life, pipelines clearly benefit Canada as a whole. If Canada wants a chance at economic and social prosperity, they must construct further pipelines soon and then reap the many rewards. After all, “[t]he time to build Canada is now” (McMillan), and if Canada doesn’t act on this resource, a chance of the century will turn into a lost, forgotten pipe dream.
no easy situation to address. Is it worth BC’s approval to build the pipeline, when it
On the 9th of February 2004 TransCanada Corporation, an energy company based in Alberta, Canada proposed a plan for the installation and use of a pipeline that would stretch from Alberta, Canada to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The pipeline, titled the Keystone Pipeline, would be installed in four separate phases and once completed would transport up to 1.1 million barrels of synthetic crude oil per day. Phases two through four of the pipeline encompass the parts of the pipeline that would be installed in the United States and would be located in the states of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Illinois. TransCanada is currently awaiting approval from the US government in order to begin the installation of the US portion of the pipeline.
The Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline are two pipeline projects that were suspended in the past. These pipelines were stopped because they could have a big impact on people and the environment. The making of these pipelines would cause a great amount of carbon pollution. Recently, President Trump signed the order to approve the pipeline project. The projects have pros and cons, the people in favor of the pipelines think we would be able to rely less on foreign oil.
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 Alberta tar sands have the second largest oil reserves in the entire world, only smaller than Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. This vast supply of oil has created a large interest in the extraction and then production of different types of oil in Canada. The tar sands are believed to hold around 174.5 billion barrels of oil. The estimates are across the board but if it is true, the oil industry in Canada would become its largest export and substantially boost the economy. The tar sands were producing 53% of Canada’s oil output, but by the end of this year it will be around 83%. This number could increase to 99%, if the tar sands are fully taken advantage of. The extraction of oil has already begun and covers around 602 square kilometers of land. The problem is that ...
One of these factors was the logistical nightmare of redeveloping the infrastructure needed to transport oil to the refinery. As early as 1881, Standard oil operated approximately 3,000 miles of pipelines, eventually owning ninety percent of the nation’s pipelines. Although transcontinental railroads were an available alternative, pipelines were cheaper, reduced handling and storage fees, and were more efficient. The fact that modern oil companies invest hundreds of millions of dollars into speculating for sustainable natural oil deposits implies that such deposits are rare and hard to identify with a passing glance. If the spurts of oil proved to be isolated incidents, the capital invested in building pipelines and reestablishing a monopoly would have been squandered.
Canada’s ability to maintain a healthy income is important, for without it, Canada’s economy would not be functional. This is where Canada’s three main exports come into play. In 2013, Canada earned 133 billion dollars in exporting Mineral products, 123 billion dollars of that coming from mineral fuels, oils, products of their distillation, bituminous substances, and mineral waxes (Ibid.). With such a booming mineral industry, Canada receives a large income from mining that can be invested in schools, jobs, public projects, and many other important areas . Also, the earnings can be devoted towards small businesses looking to expand by using government funding programs, which helps support and expand Canadian economy (Mentor Works). Overall the money is used for activities that support the Canadian economy and make numerous people’s lives better.
In 1958 Alberta gas finally reached Toronto and imports of Texas gas ended. Canada 's population was booming during the 1950s, and energy scarcities were becoming challenging. Canadian company TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. was incorporated in 1951 to undertake the creation of a natural gas pipeline across Canada. The financing of the project was split 50-50 between American and Canadian interests. This was a substantial operation in Canada because extra work was temporarily available to be able to create the pipeline. Canada has now become a self-sufficient country and stopped relying so much on other countries for oil. This was the activation of not only the Alberta oil industry booming and thriving, but also a nation as a
The oil companies, the customers, and the average employee will not benefit from the construction of this pipeline. If the pipeline does its job, it will take the whole load of oil from Canada to the United States. The other companies which are already responsible for transporting oil will not be required to do their jobs, as it is being done for them. All of these companies will go out of business. With 3 more pipeline plans in place for Canada, people are wondering whether they will ever need to build a new one again. With all of these companies going out of business, many employees will have to be laid off. This will cause insufficient manual labor, thereafter causing a lack of jobs. All the former employees are going to have to find another job. Since they won't have time to prepare in advance, for that time being, they also won’t have any source of income. "In our view, Trans Mountain plus the Keystone pipeline would make the Energy East pipeline less needed," said Divya Reddy, a global energy analyst with the Eurasia Group. "In terms of the production outlook for the oil sands over the next 10 years, it doesn't seem like that extra capacity is actually needed." Nothing is going to happen right away or very fast. So, in the instance that the pipeline doesn’t work, the other companies will still be running. This means both things will still be used. This will cause competition for attention and/or tasks between the pipeline and existing companies. This may draw attention away from the task at hand. “While we forecast continued growth in Canadian oil production, there might be too much pipe if Trans Mountain expansion and Line 3 replacement and Keystone XL all start up by 2020” said Afolbi Ogunnaike, a senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie, in a note. Because of this pipeline, people are going to lose their
According to Brendan Smith, in his article “5 Reasons Why the Keystone Pipeline is bad for the Economy”, the project will have negative effects on the country’s economy. He argues that, building the pipeline will harm the economy because its impacts on the environment are costly and it will force the citizens and the government to pay the price. He continues by stating that the project will reduce jobs in the country because the fossil fuel industry had slashed its workforce. Smith points out that the effects of the project will be felt mostly by the poor people because they will not manage to cope with the adverse climate brought about by the increased use of fossil fuel. Moving on, he argues that the Keystone Pipeline will not sustain the economy because it cannot create more jobs in the country (Smith n.p). This is because a sustainable economy is one that creates more jobs...
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
The Keystone Pipeline started construction in 2008 for the main purpose of connecting Canadian and American oil refineries to transport crude oil from the oil sands of Canada faster and more efficient. So far the first three phases of the pipeline have been completed but the proposed and most controversial is Phase IV. It connects Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Oklahoma which requires a presidential permit and it also connects the 485-mile southern leg known as the Gulf Coast Project between Steele City and Port Arthur, Texas, which is now operating (Eilperin). The benefits of the pipeline include an increase in jobs, contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S economy and also save time and money from transporting the oil by pipeline instead of tanks and rails. At the same time it would be a great harm to the environment, making the climate unstable, and could cause possible future oil spills. The articles covering the Keystone Pipeline generally list out the same points, covering the same benefits and consequences of building the pipeline. Sources like Fox News and CNS have more of an opposition towards the pipeline and narrow in on the risks and of the effects it would have on the people. Whereas news stations such as CNN and The Washington Post address both sides of the controversy but are subtle about being in favor of the pipeline. The international sources such as Al Jazeera and Reuters oppose the pipeline and are more open with supporting the environmentalists.
The newest proposed phase has been met with mixed feelings. Many companies in industry wish to see the newest phase of the pipeline completed because many believe that it would be very beneficial to almost everyone. One of the biggest benefits that the construction of a new section of pipeline would provide is the large amount of jobs that it would create. The...
Immigration is of great economic and social benefit to Canada. It’s an important role in developing our economy, and it shapes the nation into a multicultural nation. Immigration is a significant role in building our economy, providing growth in the labor force, making a strong economy, and becoming a multicultural nation.