WASHINGTON – A quick look at some of the highlights from the U.S. State Department’s report on TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline:
— Drivers of oilsands development are global and any single infrastructure project is unlikely to significantly affect the rate of extraction in oilsands areas.
— Cross-border pipeline constraints have a limited impact on crude flows and prices.
— East-west pipelines to Canada’s coasts would be used to export oilsands crude to growing Asian markets.
— If east-west and cross-border pipelines are at capacity, oilsands crude could reach U.S. and Canadian refineries by rail.
— Keystone XL would result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the alternative of shipping oil by rail.
— U.S. jobs supported during construction: 16,100 direct and 26,000 indirect.
— U.S. jobs once completed: 35 permanent employees and 15 temporary contractors.
— Total estimated property tax from pipeline: US$55.6 million spread across 27 counties and three states.