Posted on 02/26/2015 5:30:15 AM PST by thackney
The proposed Keystone XL pipeline has stirred considerable debate about the future of American energy policy. While the Senate’s recent vote to block its construction tables the discussion for the time being, it does not resolve major questions about how the U.S. transports oil today.
With the ongoing shale gas boom, the U.S. is set to pass Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer. Looking beyond KXL, such a rapid rise in production means American transportation networks are straining under new pressures to safely and efficiently move all this energy between different markets.
The following figures show how Keystone XL might fit into America’s energy future by illustrating the complex, changing way we transport oil today:
Running nearly 1,200 miles from Alberta, Canada, to Nebraska, the KXL would be a sizable structure. But it would account for under 0.8 percent of the 150,000 miles of oil pipelines already spread throughout the country.
In addition, there are 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines, along with more than 100 major refineries, further supporting the distribution of the nation’s various petroleum products.
If built, the KXL could handle up to nearly 830,000 barrels of oil per day. But in many regions with large shale reserves—such as Bakken, Marcellus, and Utica—levels of output already far exceed this capacity.
At the same time, since the KXL largely focuses on moving increasing volumes of Canadian oil, the United States has all the more reason to explore alternate ways to move its domestic energy sources, regardless of where it’s refined.
As pipelines reach capacity, U.S. railroads have seen a spike in crude oil shipments...
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Interesting. I have visited most refineries in the west because of past employment and have never heard of it.
1,700 bbl/day is a tea pot. Web search indicates it to be tar plant.
It’s a conspiracy, don’t try to fool me with that tar plant thing.
yeah, I was wondering what the Hades they were talking about.
Alien refueling supply source?
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