Why the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Matters for Climate

Following the close of the thirty day public comment period, the National Interest Determination (NID) process will continue as federal agencies consider over 2 million comments concluding that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is not in the nation’s interest.  At the same time, the environmental community submitted its own comments regarding the project, in which NRDC included an in-depth analysis of Keystone XL’s critical role in enabling high cost tar sands expansion projects to move forward.  NRDC’s assessment comes shortly after a report released the former head of research for Deutsch Bank finding that many tar sands projects will not be economic without Keystone XL and a Reuters investigation showed that tar sands shipments to the Gulf by rail have fallen far short of predictions, knocking more holes in the argument that rail can substitute for Keystone XL.  Experts throughout the Administration will have a chance to review the mounting evidence that a tar sands industry with Keystone XL will be larger and more carbon intensive than one without it and reach their own conclusions.  As they do, they will consider how the approval of Keystone XL will undermine U.S. climate leadership and its credibility in negotiating strong international climate commitments.  Moreover, they will consider how the approval of Keystone XL will undercut Canada’s ability to honor its existing climate obligations as well as reducing its capacity make future emissions reductions.  An objective consideration will show that the Keystone XL pipeline is a long term commitment to infrastructure which would enable and lock in the expansion of tar sands production and the associated climate emissions and as such, is not in the nation’s interest.

Why the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Matters for Climate