The Trans-Alaska Pipeline: Lessons for the Keystone XL Pipeline Debate (The Heritage Foundation)

(Source: The Heritage Foundation) The Obama Administration has cited various environmental and economic objections to the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, a $5.2 billion project that would carry 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada, through the U.S. down to the Gulf of Mexico. The pipeline is expected to support more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide. The Keystone XL debate is almost an exact replay of a similar policy clash during the early 1970s over whether to build the multibillion-dollar Trans-Alaska Pipeline. By examining historical documents, studies, and analyses, this study shows that environmental groups opposed to the Keystone XL Pipeline are...