STUDENT CASE STUDY—CARMICHAEL

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PIPELINES: DEBATING TAR SANDS AND SHALE OIL TRANSMISSION

CASE STUDY FOR AAC&U STIRS PROJECT

Tami S. Carmichael, University of North Dakota

STUDENT CASE

Learning Objectives1. Review basic information on tar sands oil extraction and transmission.2. Examine and evaluate evidence and arguments about environmental impact of tar sands

pipelines.3. Examine and evaluate evidence and arguments about economic impact of tar sands

pipelines.4. Examine and evaluate evidence and arguments about tar sands pipeline impact on

cultural resources.5. Consider the issue of "public good" and of the balance between the few and the many in

a society.6. Formulate group and individual positions with evidence-based reasoning.

Before the next class: Read material in this case study to Part A only. Read the article "The Keystone XL Pipeline: Should the President Approve

Construction?" by Michael B. McElroy (found at http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/11/the-keystone-xl-pipeline) and the article "Shipping Crude Oil by Rail: New Front in the Tar Sands Wars" by Jacques Leslie (found at http://e360.yale.edu/feature/shipping_crude_oil_by_rail_new_front_in_tar_sands_wars/2717/).

Listen to the NPR podcast "USSD: Tar Sands Pipelines Should Be Held to Different Standards" from All Things Considered, April 25 2013: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/24/178844620/tar-sands-pipelines-should-get-special-treatment-epa-says

Research and Write responses to the following questions. Bring the answers to the next class:1. What is tar sands oil and what is oil shale?2. Where are tars sands oil deposits and where is active drilling occurring?3. How is tar sands oil extracted and why is this of concern?4. What are the concerns that surround tar sands oil transmission?

Bring personal computer or tablet and this case study to the next class.

What Is the Public Good?....

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During the first week of October 2013, a group of Anishinaabe tribal members rode on horseback across 230 miles of the proposed Enbridge Alberta Clipper Pipeline to protest the proposed construction of a tar sands pipeline designed to carry crude oil from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin, USA, a pipeline that will desecrate their sacred spaces such as tribal burial grounds and that might, they fear, contaminate the water on the land where tribal members live (Nienaber 2013).

Just two months later in a small North Dakota town, a freight train carrying crude oil collided with a recently derailed train carrying grain. The trains exploded, and though no one was immediately injured, 400,000 gallons of crude oil spilled out onto the prairie, and a massive mushroom cloud of fire forced the evacuation of over 1,400 people (Grand Forks Herald 2013).

As the United States seeks to become more energy independent, attention is given to extracting, transmitting, and refining the oil that lies beneath the great shale formations of the mid west and in the Alberta tar sands. Currently there is a national push to construct more pipelines for this "tar sands oil" transmission, and state and federal departments, legislators, and even the President, seek answers about the environmental, economic, and cultural impact of these pipelines. Final decisions are being made in the United States, as the US Environmental Protection Agency files final Environmental Impact Statements, and governments in both Canada and the United States move closer to further pipeline construction that will traverse both countries.

Over the next few class periods, you will examine the arguments for and against constructing tar sands pipelines, analyze some of the scientific findings that are used in these arguments, and debate whether or not further pipelines, like the proposed Keystone XL, should be constructed to carry tar sands oil.

BackgroundTar sands pipelines carry a specific kind of crude oil, extracted from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada and oil shale of the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, to refineries within the United States. "Tar sands oil" contains bitumen, or raw tar sands along with light natural gas liquids, making it more hazardous than other conventional oils because its vapors can ignite at lower temperatures (Skinner and Sweeney 2012). As the United States and Canada seek to extract more oil, increasing amounts of tar sands oil will need to be shipped long distances to refineries. Currently, tanker trucks, trains, and pipelines are used for this function; however, for a variety of reasons including cost, efficiency, and safety, there is an increasing call for extending pipelines like the Keystone pipeline that carries oil from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Nebraska and Illinois (USSD 2014).

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Figure 1: Tar Sands Pipelines: Current and ProposedRetrieved from: insideclimatenews.org, March 17, 2014

As seen in Figure 1, current pipelines run across international and state borders as well as tribal lands. Proposed pipelines like the controversial Keystone XL that would carry crude oil out of the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota would potentially cross important watersheds like the Ogallala Aquifer that supplies much of the water to the Midwestern United States (Giles 2013). In addition, it will affect important cultural resources like Native American sacred places, state and federal wildlife reserves, and prime hunting and fishing areas.

Becoming energy independent has been an important goal for both the United States and Canada for decades, and increasing turmoil in the Middle East, a major supplier of oil to North America, has made this goal more important to attain. The extraction and refinement of oil from Alberta's tar sands and from the oil shale of the Bakken, it is argued, creates a way that the United States can gain energy independence. In addition, it is argued that the development of tar sands oil, including pipeline construction, will benefit the local and national economies by creating jobs.

It is clear that current tar sands pipelines affect many groups and may have impacts that are long term and potentially hazardous. Data and arguments can support both sides of the issue. Ultimately, as citizens, you have the opportunity to voice your informed opinion on these issues

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as state and federal governments collect responses in open and online forums when new pipelines are proposed. What will you decide and what information will you consider to make that decision?

Part A: Environmental Impact and SafetyPersonal Computers/Tablets Required

The readings and podcast you have prepared for today focus on concerns over tar sands oil and tar sands pipelines in both the United States and Canada, and particularly regard the development of the Keystone XL pipeline and the Endbridge Northern Gateway pipeline (locate these on the map above). The issues raised in these articles express the concerns and opinions of many US groups, and any decision taken on further pipeline construction will have to take into account the effects of those pipelines on people and places on both sides of the international border.

Let's begin by seeing how you feel about the tar sands pipelines. Write responses to the following statements (your instructor will tell you if you are to hand in these responses):

Whenever the public welfare is at stake, individual rights are of less concern. We must develop oil reserves in the United States and Canada to be secure. The development of natural resources like oil will be economically beneficial. There are other considerations regarding oil development that are more important than

financial/economic considerations. Pipelines will not have a long-term impact on environment and wildlife. Our environment and our communities are safer if we use pipelines to carry oil. The President should not approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. More tar sands oil pipelines should be developed.

Your instructor will break you into groups. In these groups, discuss your responses to the preceding statements, using information from the texts and podcast you reviewed before class and from your basic research.

The arguments surrounding oil development in the tar sands and oil shale are complex, and emotions run high on both sides of the issue. Our work today will focus on the reality that there is tar sand oil being extracted and that it does need to be moved to refineries. Given that, the question becomes whether pipelines provide a safe and effective method for moving this oil. As people consider whether or not to approve further pipeline development, they want to know how pipelines will affect the environment through which they will travel. Throughout the following case study, you will be presented with information from common news sources that you, as an educated citizen of a democracy, might encounter by reading a newspaper or general magazine article. You will also be asked to access general news stories or websites that are meant for public consumption. How do you take in this information and use it to understand the situation? In groups, and per your instructor's directions, read over the materials provided and work as a group to answer the questions that follow.

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Greenhouse Gas EmissionsTo understand the potential impact of a tar sands pipeline being constructed, let's look at the research done in response to the request for a Presidential Permit by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP to construct and operate the Keystone XL Project (USSD 2014). This request was reviewed by the US State Department (USSD), and a final report was written that provided information and rationale for evaluating the project. This report can be found at: http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221135.pdf .

In this Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, the USSD "evaluated the potential construction and operational impacts of the proposed Project [pipeline] and alternatives across a wide range of environmental resources" including the potential effects on climate change and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions associated with oil sands development, refining, and consumptions.

First, in your group, see if you can remember how the Greenhouse Gas model works. Review the GHG Effect by drawing a model of the effect. Explain, in writing, how GHGs contribute to climate change. Use online resources only as a last resort. Your instructor will review your model.

In order to predict the effect of future pipelines on climate change, the US State Department studied the "wider GHG emissions associated with the crude oil being transported by the proposed Project" (USSD 2014). They used what they term a "wells-to-wheels" approach that compared the GHG emitted by tar sands oil from the Western Sedimentary Basin in Canada (WCSB) and the Bakken Shale Formation (BSF) in the United States. This wells-to-wheels analysis considers GHG emissions of tar sands oil from extraction, processing, transportation, refining, and refined product use and compares those potential emissions with the emissions of other heavy crude oils and with petroleum coke. There is concern about the effects of tar sands oil because, according to the USSD (2014), tar sands crude oils "are generally more GHG intensive than other heavy crudes they would replace or displace in US refineries, and emit an estimated 17 percent more GHGs on a lifecycle basis than the average barrel of crude oil refined in the United States in 2005."

The following chart is from the USSD's Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (2014) and shows the comparison between GHG emissions from Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin tar sands oil and emissions from other types of crude oil like "Mexican Maya" oil and "Middle Eastern Sour" oil.

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Figure 2. GHG Emissions, USSD 2014.

Using information in this chart, answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

1. Express the difference between total GHG emissions from WCSB and Mexican Maya as a percentage of the total emissions from WCSB.

2. What stage of the entire process contributes most to the release of GHGs? How about the least?

3. What stage of the process varies the most between oil sources in GHG emissions?4. What further information do you need to determine if a new pipeline would contribute to

climate change?

The next chart compares GHG emissions (in carbon dioxide equivalents) between different transportation routes and transportation forms, including different routes that might be taken by the pipeline, as well as using rails to tankers and using rails directly to the coast refineries. The information in the chart below measures GHG emissions for potential routes through the central United States to the Gulf Coast (see Figure 1). Concentrate on the final four columns that compare a proposed entire pipeline, a rail/pipeline option, a rail/tanker option, and the current rail-only option. Examine the information and to see what the GHGs are for different routes and types of transmission (i.e. pipeline, trains [rails], tanker trucks, or some combination).

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Figure 3. GHG Emissions by Transportation Routes, USSD 2014.

Using information in this chart, answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

5. There is a vast increase between the direct "Overall I-90 Corridor Alternative Route" and the next column "Rail/Pipelines scenario." How great is the increase in GHG emissions? Why might this be?

6. How does the GHG emission increase between the I-90 corridor alternative route and the rail/tanker scenario compare to the increase between the direct "Overall I-90 Corridor Alternative Route" and the next column "Rail/Pipelines scenario"? Is the difference between using rails/pipeline and rail/tanker of significance?

7. What is difference in GHG emissions between the I-90 corridor alternative route and the rail direct scenario?

8. What conclusions can you draw regarding GHG emissions and pipeline transportation? Rail transportation?

9. Review the information at this website: http://www.c2es.org/energy/source/oil/keystone. How does the information in those articles relate to the data in any of the data sets you've looked at here?

Trains v. PipelinesThe chart above indicates that there are currently varying ways to transport tar sands oil: pipeline, rail, and rail/tanker (trains and tanker trucks). You've already drawn some conclusions about GHGs and rail transportation, but the biggest safety risk to the environment comes from spills. Let's look at some data surrounding incidents of oil spills in trains vs. pipelines.

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The chart below tracks amounts of crude petroleum transported by rail from 2003–12. "Originated Rail Carloads" refers to the actual amount of carloads of crude petroleum that started out from loading sites to be transported to refineries. Compare information in the following two charts and answer the questions below.

Figure 4. Association of American Railroads 2013.Amounts shown in barrels per day (bpd)

Figure 5. Crude Oil Spills, Tate 2014.

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These charts represent total amounts of oil shipped and spilled from trains. What we can't know is how much of this oil was tar sands oil, but we do know that two major instances in 2013, the Casselton, ND spill and the Parkers Prairie, MN spill both involved tar sands oil. In these incidents, over 430,000 gallons of tar sands crude was spilled (Shaffer and Ramstad 2014; Sheppard and Jones 2013). Looking at the charts, what can we deduce? Answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

10. Consider the differences in spills from 1975 and 2013: What percent greater is the oil spilled in 2013 than the total amount of oil spilled from 1975–2012?

11. Look at both charts in Figure 4 and Figure 5. What is the trend over time as represented by the graph in Figure 4 for amounts of crude shipped by trains? What is the trend over time as represented by the graph in Figure 5 for amounts of crude spilled in rail accidents or events?

12. By comparing these charts, what projections can you make regarding oil transmission and trains, if the trends continue?

Now let's look at incidents of oil spills in pipelines. The map below details the major tar sands oil spills*.

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Figure 6. Major Tar Sands Oil Spills, Tar Sands Solutions Network 2013.

*Clarification of five listed spills (image was not available in higher resolution): 1. July 1 2011: 12" pipeline 63,000 gallons Yellowstone river (X1)2. July 2012: Kalamzoo River, Marshall, MI, 1 million gallons (X2)3. Aug 2012: Red Deer River, Sundre, Alberta, CA pipeline rupture, 475,000 litres (X4)4. March 2, 2013: Parkers Prairie, MN 30,000 gallons (X5)5. March 29, 2013: Mayflower, Arkansas, 500,000 gallons, 20" Pegasus Pipeline ruptured (X5)

Using information in this chart, answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

13. How much is the total gallons of oil spilled in pipeline incidents for 2011–13?14. What percent greater is the oil spilled by train in 2013 vs. oil spilled by pipeline in the same

year?15. What further information would you need to make predictions about pipelines and future

oil spills?

Groundwater IssuesTo understand the potential impact of a tar sands pipeline being constructed, let's look at the research done in response to the request for a Presidential Permit by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP to construct and operate the Keystone XL Project (USSD 2014). The pipeline, if it is built, would run 875 miles from the Canadian border to Steele City, Nebraska, connecting two sections of the pipeline already built that carry oil to the Gulf Coast. The pipeline would be 36 inches in diameter and run along a 110-foot-wide swath of land (Magill 2013). Most of the pipeline would run aboveground though in some areas it would run below the ground surface. What would happen if a leak occurred in the pipeline?

To find answers to that question, we will look at information from the USSD's Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement regarding the proposed Keystone XL, as well as from the Enbridge pipeline spill into the Kalamazoo River, Michigan (July 2010).

In their Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL, the USSD indicates they have "evaluated the potential construction and operational impacts of the proposed Project [pipeline] and alternatives across a wide range of environmental resources" including the potential effects on water resources, especially any potential effects on wells and on groundwater aquifers like the Ogallala that provide much of the water to the upper Midwest United States.

Figure 7 shows a map of the route of the proposed Keystone XL and of the Ogallala Aquifer (also known as the High Plains Aquifer) it will cross. You will see that the main area where the pipeline crosses the aquifer is in Nebraska. This section of Nebraska is the Sandhills region. The Sandhills "are ancient sand dunes that have been stabilized by grasses. Because of their very permeable geology, nearly 100 percent of the annual rainfall infiltrates to a very shallow aquifer, often less than twenty feet below the surface. This aquifer is the well-known Ogallala

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Aquifer that is one of the most productive and important aquifers in the world" (Stansbury 2011). On the map below, the colored swaths indicate the varying depths of the aquifer.

Figure 7. Proposed Pipeline Route over High Plains Aquifer, USSD 2014.

Using information in this figure, answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

16. What is the Ogallala Aquifer, where is it located, and what is its importance? (Use online resources as needed).

17. What fears might people have about the Keystone XL pipeline and the Ogallala, particularly in Nebraska?

18. Using the map above, what conclusions can you draw about potential effects of the proposed pipeline on the Ogallala?

The following table outlines what the USSD has determined about the effects of potential tar sands oil releases on aquifers. Read through the table and answer the questions that follow.

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Figure 8. Potential Effects of Pipeline on Aquifers, USSD 2014.

Using information in this chart, answer the following questions according to your instructor's directions:

19. What can you determine from this chart and the map above (Figure 7) regarding the potential effect of pipelines on aquifers?

20. What further information do you need to evaluate the validity of the claims in this chart?21. Consider the USSD's conclusions (above), the map of the aquifers crossed, the research

you've done, and the statements here. Do you agree or disagree with the findings and why? What further concerns might people raise about the pipeline and potential impacts on aquifers?

22. Watch this video provided by the National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Energy-and-Climate/Drilling-and-Mining/Tar-Sands/Michigan-Oil-Spill.aspx and then read the information provided by the USSD: http://www.epa.gov/enbridgespill/. Using the CRAAP test (Currency/Relevance/Authority/Accuracy/Purpose test: Appendix

A), evaluate the two sources. What are the strengths and weaknesses? Does one seem more valid than the other? If so, why?

Compare and contrast the information from the two websites on the Kalamazoo River oil spill. Draw conclusions.

What might you now conclude about the safety of aquifer systems that have pipelines above them?

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Wildlife and HabitatTo understand the potential impact of a tar sands pipeline being constructed, let's look again at the USSD report (USSD 2014).

In their Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, the USSD "evaluated the potential construction and operational impacts of the proposed Project [pipeline] and alternatives across a wide range of environmental resources" including the potential effects on wildlife, including threatened or endangered species.

According to the USSD (2014), construction of the proposed pipeline "could have direct and indirect as well as temporary...and permanent impacts on wildlife resources." The following chart provides information on habitats to be affected. Consider the information and answer the questions that follow according to your instructor's directions.

Figure 9. Table 3.6-2 Habitats Located within the Proposed Project, USSD 2014.

23. Which habitats will seem to receive the most impact?24. What does the list above tell you about the kinds of wildlife that might be affected? (use

online resources as needed)25. In what ways could pipeline construction affect these habitats? Be specific.26. What conclusions can you draw between construction disturbance and operation

disturbance?

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27. What other secondary effects might there be (beyond habitat and wildlife) if these habitats are negatively affected?

Many groups of wildlife would be affected, as you've noted, but we will take look at one specific group: large mammals. According to the USSD report (2014), "the proposed pipeline has been designed to avoid impacts, where possible, to many state and federally managed areas within the vicinity" of the pipeline. Additionally, the report indicates that "in Nebraska, all state-managed wildlife management areas that provide protected habitats for wildlife have been avoided. These areas are all more than 500 feet from the proposed [pipeline] centerline." Look over the chart below and follow the instructions/answer the questions that follow according to your instructor's directions.

Table 3.6-2 Big Game Animals with Habitat within the Proposed Project Area

Species Occurrence by State Habitat TypeMT SD NE

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) x x x

Semi-open, rough, rocky steep buttes and canyons of mountains; forage in mixed grass prairies, forests, and forest edges

Elk (Cervus canadensis) x x xConiferous forests, mixed grass prairies, meadows, and along forest edges

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) x Habitat generalistsMountain lion (Puma concolor) x x Require cover and large prey availability

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) x x x

Often characterized by drainages with deciduous trees and shrubs and north slopes dominated by coniferous or evergreen trees

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) x x x

Open plains, fields, grasslands, brush, deserts, and basins

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) x x x Wooded areas

Source: American Society of Mammalogists 2012; International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCNNR) 2012; Montana Field Guides 2012; Smithsonian Institution 2012; University of Michigan Museum of Zoology 2012

Figure 10. Table 3.6-2 Big Game Animals with Habitat within the Proposed Project Area, USSD 2014.

28. Which of these animals could be most harmed and/or reduced by habitat disruption?29. Which of these animals would be least likely to be harmed and/or reduced by habitat

disruption?30. Which animal(s) on this list would be of most concern to you if a pipeline was constructed

through its habitat and why?31. Read the "Fact Sheet" on endangered waterfowl provided by the National Wildlife

Federation: http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global-Warming/2014/Tar-Sands-Fact-Sheet_Pelly-Amendment-UPDATE.pdf. What specific information here is valuable in understanding the impact of tar sands

pipelines? Do you find any information in this "fact sheet" suspect, and if so, why?

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AssignmentAccording to your instructor's directions, use the information and the conclusions you've reached to write a one-page position paper on one of the issues studied in this section. A strong paper will include:

A clear, simple explanation of the issue A clear stance on that issue supported with evidence An acknowledgement of the counter arguments and/or of conflicting evidence

You will post this paper to the online forum your instructor has created for this class.

Before Next Class Read all the position papers posted on your class' electronic forum as well as Listen to the podcast "One Thing Obama Can Do: Decide the Fate of the Keystone

Pipeline" on NPR, Fresh Air, Oct. 9, 2013: http://www.mprnews.org/story/npr/230699848

Write notes and responses to readings and podcast that connect what you've already learned to statements made in the texts and podcasts and that may help you in class discussions. Bring these notes with you to class.

Bring personal computer or tablet to the next class.

Part B: Pipeline Impact on Economic and Cultural ResourcesPersonal Computers/Tablets Required

Today you will consider arguments made concerning the impact of new tar sands oil pipelines on job creation and on cultural resources like state and federal parks, hunting and fishing lands, and Native American sacred places. Many of the arguments you encounter will connect with the information you encountered during the last class period. The environmental impact of pipelines on natural habitat, for instance, has an indirect effect (as some of you have noted) on hunting and fishing. You will also need to consider when and if the good of the individual (or the few) outweighs the good of the many.

At the same time that you are considering the content of the arguments, you will also want to evaluate the validity of the sources themselves. Use the CRAAP test, located in Appendix A, to evaluate the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of the arguments.

Break into groups according to your instructor's directions and consider the following topics/information. Using the topic or information given, complete the Assignment at the end of this section.

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Topic A: Job Creation"Putting Keystone XL tar sands pipeline's jobs numbers in context" by Anthony Swift: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/putting_keystone_xl_tar_sands.html."The Impact of Tar Sands Pipeline Spills on Employment and the Economy," by Lara Skinner and Sean Sweeney: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globallaborinstitute/research/upload/GLI_Impact-of-Tar-Sands-Pipeline-Spills.pdf.

"Beyond the Hype, Keystone Would Yield few Permanent Jobs," by Allstair Bell. Attached PDF (Appendix B) or at http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/beyond-hype-keystone-would-yield-few-permanent-jobs .

Topic B: Recreational and Visual Resources

USSD Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: "Land Use, Recreation and Visual Resources." http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221168.pdf.

"Killdeer Mountain Group Wants Line Redrawn" by Lauren Donovan: http://bismarcktribune.com/bakken/killdeer-mountain-group-wants-line-redrawn/article_c8afbc28-8222-11e3-86cd-001a4bcf887a.html.

TED talk "The True Cost of Oil" by Garth Lenz: https://www.ted.com/talks/garth_lenz_images_of_beauty_and_devastation.

Topic C: Native Peoples and Sacred Places

"Spiritual Leaders Vow to Defend Mother Earth from Oil Sands and Pipelines with Spiritual Declaration," by David P. Bell, Indian Country, November 23, 2012: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/11/23/spiritual-leaders-vow-defend-mother-earth-oil-sands-and-pipelines-spiritual-declaration.

“Comments of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline,” April 22, 2013. http://www.ncai.org/attachments/Testimonial_UkbhoziSbdrsSGfibMHfjfdKvjlZBHcrVkGDiYgBFhDNBpKeYEJ_KEYSTONE%20COMMENTS%20APRIL%20222013%20-%20FINAL_1.2.pdf.

"First Nation Riders Protest Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline" by G. Nienaber. The Huffington Post, September 30, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com.

Assignment1. Read and evaluate the arguments and sources for your assigned topic. In the articles, how are individuals and small groups responding to external pressures to drill and transport oil through/near their communities? How do oil transportation (pipeline or train) affect individuals? Debate the issue as a group and summarize the issues.

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2. Make a list of questions that the arguments raise and spend some time finding answers online.3. As a group, write a "letter to the editor" that takes a stance or provides an argument regarding your topic.

Before Next Class:

Read the "Letters to the Editor" posted by your peers. In addition: Watch "Bill McKibben to Obama: Say No to Big Oil" from Moyers and Company,

February 7, 2014: http://billmoyers.com/episode/bill-mckibben-to-obama-say-no-to-big-oil/?gclid=CMTyns_1nL0CFdBcMgodUFgAzQ.

Consider your own community. How would you respond to an increase in oil transport if a pipeline or additional trains were to come through your community? What effect might that increase have on your community? Would it be positive or negative?

Write your thoughts about other arguments that can/should be made in support of or against tar sands oil development and the construction of tar sands pipelines. Bring this writing to class for the next group discussion.

Bring personal computer or tablet to the next class.

Part C: Discussion and Debate: Allow Pipeline Construction?Personal Computers/Tablets required

Today we will begin to formulate arguments for and against further construction of pipelines to carry tar sands oil from the point of extraction to refineries. To begin with, we will take time to determine personal opinions.

A. Respond as your instructor directs to the following questions: Whenever the public welfare is at stake, individual rights are of less concern. We must develop oil reserves in the United States and Canada to be secure. The development of natural resources like oil will be economically beneficial. There are other considerations regarding oil development that are more important than

financial/economic considerations. Pipeline construction will not have a long-term impact on environment and wildlife. Our environment and our communities are safer if we use pipelines to carry oil. The President should not approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. Further tar sands oil pipelines should be developed.

B. According to your instructor's directions, discuss the responses to these statements above and consider the questions below.

Has your stance changed? If so why? If not, what evidence do you now have to further support your opinion?

What are the most compelling arguments for and against pipeline construction?

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At what point do or don't the needs of or effects on the few outweigh those of the many? In other words, at what level, in this issue, do we determine what is "public good"?

AssignmentWhen tar sands pipelines are proposed and companies make requests for permits, part of the decision requires a period of public comment. These comments are collected in person and online. According to your instructor's directions, draft an informed comment on a proposal to build a new tar sands pipeline that would run through your state. An excellent response will:

clearly articulate stance provide evidence to support the argument make consideration of public good provide a discussion of stakeholders affected provide a discussion of alternatives if appropriate

Post these comments to whatever electronic forum your instructor has established for this class.

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Appendix A: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) TestDocument available at: http://www.juniata.edu/services/library/instruction/handouts/craap_worksheet.pdf.

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Appendix B: Grand Forks Herald Article, March 14, 2014

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References Alberta Energy. 2014. "About Oil Sands." (accessed March 12, 2014). http://www.energy.alberta.ca/ourbusiness/oilsands.asp.

American Petroleum Institute. 2014. "Spills and Accidental Releases." (accessed March 8, 2014). http://www.api.org/environment-health-and-safety/clean-water/oil-spill-prevention-and-response/spills-and-releases.

Association of American Railroads. 2013. "Originated Rail Carloads of Crude Petroleum on U.S. Class I Railroads: 2003–2012.“ Transportation of Crude Oil by Rail. (accessed March 13, 2014).https://www.aar.org/todays-railroads/what-we-haul/crude-oil-by-rail. Bell, A. 2014. "Keystone Would Yield Few Permanent Jobs." Grand Forks Herald, March 14. http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/beyond-hype-keystone-would-yield-few-permanent-jobs.

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Middleton, D. 2013. "Canadian Oil Sands Pollute Nearby Lakes. Report Is Blow to Keystone Pipeline (Or Not)." (accessed March 17, 2014). http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/11/canadian-oil-sands-pollute-nearby-lakes-report-is-blow-to-keystone-pipeline-or-not/.

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Swift, A. 2013. "Putting Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline's Jobs Numbers in Context." Switchboard: Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog. August 6, 2013. (accessed March 19, 2014). http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/putting_keystone_xl_tar_sands.html.

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