What Closing Keystone XL Pipeline Means for Oil Production

13 Jun What Closing Keystone XL Pipeline Means for Oil Production

Posted at 12:22h in News by

Officials proposed the Keystone XL Pipeline project in 2008. The tar sands pipeline would run from Canada to Nebraska. Opponents fought against this endeavor from the moment it was presented, and the project was finally nixed when President Biden took office. Let’s look at what closing the Keystone XL Pipeline means for oil production.

What Are Tar Sands?

Tar sands oil is unlike other oils out there. It’s a sludge mixture of clay, water, and sticky substances—it’s the dirtiest oil in the world. It takes much more time and energy to drill tar sands than conventional oil. Moreover, the drilling process uses excess amounts of water. Tar sands also use much more carbon than traditional oil.

What Does This Mean for the Oil Industry?

Closing the Keystone XL Pipeline will push the oil production industry towards greener procedures. Tar sands oil is corrosive, so new problems arise when it moves through pipelines. Tar sands oil is incredibly challenging to clean up, leading to more pollution and increased carbon emissions. For these reasons, many oil and gas companies are moving away from extracting tar sands oil to more sustainable options.

Changing Drilling Sites & Going Green

Activists pushed hard for the Keystone XL Pipeline to close because it was depleting natural resources. Additionally, this pipeline would have destroyed wetlands across its path. Protesters fought passionately against this plan, leading to the pipeline’s closing. Now, oil and gas companies are more environmentally conscious about where they drill, and are attempting to use greener drilling practices.

The fight against harmful oil drilling methods has gained traction over the last decade, so much so that environmental advocates successfully pushed politicians to close the Keystone XL Pipeline. Although some might be frustrated about the project’s cancellation, other companies have embraced greener methods because of it. C-MOR Energy Services wants to help such businesses become eco-friendly. We offer sustainable products like refinery LED lighting to help oilfields become more sustainable.