Letters: Myth vs. fact on Keystone XL

Re “The future of Keystone XL,” Editorial, Feb. 2

TransCanada hasn’t had a spill from our actual oil pipelines. The first Keystone pipeline has safely delivered more than 550 million barrels of oil to U.S. refineries.

In 2011 we replaced some fittings at all of our pump stations after some releases occurred; there hasn’t been an issue since.

Most spills were just a few gallons, and most of the oil remained on our property and was cleaned up without an environmental impact

The State Department’s latest report reiterated that Keystone XL would be the safest pipeline ever built in the U.S. if TransCanada agreed to 59 additional conditions — and we have. These include additional protections like more remote shut-off valves spaced closer together, high-strength steel, more frequent inspections and burying the pipe deeper in the ground.

All five federal reviews have concluded that this pipeline won’t have an adverse impact on the environment or on greenhouse gas emissions. The heavy oil from the oil sands is less carbon intensive than oil currently produced in California.

Keystone XL won’t export crude oil, and this was reaffirmed by the latest State Department report. Our U.S. customers who have signed long-term contracts have also said they intend not to export the oil. And though we’re building safer pipelines, we’re also investing $5 billion in emissionless energy so we have the energy we want and need.

Alex Pourbaix

Calgary, Canada

The writer is president for energy and oil pipelines at TransCanada.

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