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The debate over the Keystone XL oil pipeline heated up again lastweek after the Congressional Research Service issued a reportsaying the project could raise U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by asmuch as 21 million metric tons a year the equivalent of adding 4million cars to the road. The Congressional Research Service is a branch of the Library ofCongress that conducts policy analysis for lawmakers on CapitolHill. Released last Tuesday less than two weeks after TransCanada re-applied for a permit to build the Keystone XL the report found that crude oil produced from Canadian oil sands (also known as tarsands) emits 14 to 20 percent more planet-warming gases than theconventional oil that is typically found in U.S. refineries. The report analyzed a number of studies, including a 2011 report by Stanford University professor Adam Brandt , who spoke with InsideClimate News this week about his research. Brandt is an expert on the greenhouse gas impacts of transportationfuels. His report was commissioned by the European Union, which will decide next year whether to adopt a fuel-quality directive to reduce thetransportation sector's carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Thedirective would encourage the use of less carbon-intensive fuels bylabeling tar sands oil more polluting than other fuels. In his interview with InsideClimate News, Brandt said that theCanadian oil sands industry opposes the EU directive because itcould set a precedent for other countries. Though stuck in legal limbo , regulators in California have already approved a low-carbon fuel standard , and Northeastern states are considering a similar measure. The debate over oil sands willonly intensify as the industry seeks to expand. The Keystone XL is one of many oil sands pipelines slated for construction in the U.S. over the next five years. Ifapproved, it would transport up to 830,000 barrels a day of oilsands from Alberta to Steele City, Neb. From there, the oil wouldbe shipped to the U.S. Gulf Coast for refining and export via asecond pending TransCanada pipeline. ICN: What makes the oil sands different from conventional crude oil? Brandt: It's not completely different from conventional oil they're allhydrocarbons, we produce gasoline and diesel from all of them. It'sjust that the oil sands are naturally a different sort of resource. Conventional oil is traditionally produced from subsurfacereservoirs that you drill into, and the oil is produced from a[deep] well. The oil sands, in contrast, are near the surface or alot of them are. So they can either be extracted via mining methodswhere you dig up the sand that has the oil calledbitumen associated with it, or you can drill wells and injectsteam into the ground. Because the oil sands is a heavierhydrocarbon, it doesn't flow very well. It's kind of like tar, andit's very viscous. So it's difficult to extract compared toconventional oil. I am an expert from multi-touchtabletpc.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Google Android Touchpad Tablet PC , Tablet PC With 3G Sim Slot Manufacturer, Multitouch Tablet PC,and more.
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