Keystone XL Pipeline Overview
Overview and Issues for Debate
In September 2008, TransCanada (a Canadian company) applied to the U.S. Department of State for a permit to cross the U.S.–Canada international border with the Keystone XL pipeline project.
If constructed, the pipeline would carry crude oil produced from the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada, to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. Because the pipeline would connect the United States with a foreign country, it requires a presidential permit issued by the State Department. Some Members of Congress have expressed support for the proposed pipeline’s potential energy security and economic benefits, while others have expressed reservations about its potential environmental impacts. Although Congress has no direct role in permitting the pipeline’s construction, it may have an oversight role stemming from Federal environmental statutes that govern the pipeline’s application review process.
