Energy Economics
Applied Optimization

State Department Report States That Keystone XL Would Have Little Effect on Climate

On March 1, the U.S. State Department released its latest draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would bring crude oil from Alberta to U.S. refining centers in the mid-West and Gulf Coast. One of the EIS’s key finding is that the pipeline’s operation would have little effect on global climate, largely because the crude oil will be produced and exported with or without Keystone XL. Absent the pipeline, the crude would move by rail and/or marine transport to U.S. refining centers and possibly to overseas destinations. The draft EIS is available here.