Dear Mr. President,

All that we are today, as an international community, impacts the future–our future. In order to have this great future, though, we need to prepare today. Energy runs our world, advancing constantly, yet I feel we don’t emphasize this enough. We must build things to help better our nation’s energy sources. Therefore, I believe we should construct the Keystone Pipeline XL to lessen our dependency on foreign oil, create more jobs, and still maintain a very low environmental impact.

For the past few years, the Keystone Pipeline XL has been in its final stages to decide whether to implement it or not. Starting in Alberta, Canada, and ending in Oklahoma and Texas, the pipeline would stretch over 1,179 miles across the border. The issue should be finalized by early 2013, as TransCanada, the Canadian pipeline company who proposed the idea, has sent in their Presidential Permit application to the US government, and awaits its approval.

Almost everybody has been called to the issue of dependency on foreign oil. According to whitehouse.gov, over the past seven years, America’s dependency has decreased by fifteen percent to forty percent reliance. But just think, how low could we really get this number? By installing the Pipeline XL, the US would receive approximately 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day, says csis.org, or the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a program from Washington D.C. This number could reduce imported oil by a lot! Also, TransCanada would provide the growing American population with the oil they need, while still making a profit. It’s a win-win situation. America lessens its dependency of oil from the Middle East, and in turn, focuses on Canada, a long-time ally. Canada or the Middle East—which would be safer?

Second, in order to create the Keystone Pipeline, many workers would have to attend to this project. The way in which this could be accomplished, is by hiring more workers, and therefore, creating more jobs. According to csis.org, this project could stimulate the economy with the hundreds of thousands jobs it would create. In the economy we have right now, this extra need can only help America! After all, one of the main concerns in the presidential race is to create more jobs—this can only add to the solution.

Environmentally speaking, the construction and oil production for the pipeline will remain almost invisible, and in the long run, will not have made any impact at all. Of course when building the pipeline trees and land will be torn up, but that’s the beauty of nature. Within a few years nature will once again take over and return the area back to its natural state. Shrubs and grass will take root not even a year after its construction. As for the production of crude oil, many people are concerned with the oil sands. Oil sands are simply a mix of sand and bitumen, or a residue from petroleum. Many opponents fear these sand dunes will create more air pollution, but Alberta already has air regulations in place and plan to reduce emissions over time.

All in all, the creation of the Keystone Pipeline XL should be implemented in this coming year. The Keystone Pipeline XL will reduce dependency on foreign oil from the Middle East, stimulate our weak economy with the creation of new jobs, and not even impact our environment over the period of a few years. Please take these points into consideration and do America a favor—pass this project through the White House, and build the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Sincerely,
Anastasia P.