Resolved: President Obama's rejection of the Keystone Pipeline was a favorable decision.

I move on to my contentions for this round:Contention 1: The Keystone XL Pipeline would've been environmentally disastrous. Sub-point 1a: Extraction of tar sands contributes to the problem of greenhouse gases. Because of the more complex process of extraction of tar sands oil in the Keystone XL Pipeline, more greenhouse gases are released than in conventional processes of extraction according to opponents to the Keystone XL Pipeline, including the following: "The Canadian government insists that it has found ways to reduce those emissions. But a new report from Canada’s environmental ministry shows how great the impact of the tar sands will be in the coming years, even with cleaner production methods. It projects that Canada will double its current tar sands production over the next decade to more than 1.8 million barrels a day. That rate will mean cutting down some 740,000 acres of boreal forest — a natural carbon reservoir. Extracting oil from tar sands is also much more complicated than pumping conventional crude oil out of the ground. It requires steam-heating the sands to produce a petroleum slurry, then further dilution. One result of this process, the ministry says, is that greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector as a whole will rise by nearly one-third from 2005 to 2020 — even as other sectors are reducing emissions. Canada still hopes to meet the overall target it agreed to at Copenhagen in 2009 — a 17 percent reduction from 2005 levels by 2020. If it falls short, as seems likely, tar sands extraction will bear much of the blame. "Sub-point 1b: The Pipeline would go through the Ogallala Aquifer, which would be detrimental. "The Keystone debate has also become a personal issue for Midwest communities living far from the pipeline route. Current plans would have the Keystone XL pipeline run over Nebraska’s portion of the Ogallala aquifer, a shallow water table that supplies drinking and farming water for multiple states. Because of the proximity to the aquifer, leaks or accidents could have a devastating effect on the 1.5 million people that rely on the water supply, as well as 20 percent of the nation’s irrigated farmland that draws water from the same source. "Sub-point 1c: Leakage on the Pipeline is Likely. "Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America's public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or "DilBit" -- a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate -- raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States. "Contention 2: The Pipeline would not aid the US economy. Sub-point 2a: Few jobs would actually result from the Pipeline. " TransCanada’s submission to Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) led to the Board stating: The Board finds that the socio-economic impacts of the Keystone XL Project will be of a temporary nature and limited to the relatively short duration of pipeline construction without significant long term effect on the surrounding communities. .. In the US, construction jobs will be created in the 6 states along the pipeline’s route. Based on the FEIS estimates, there would also be between 3 and 7 person-years of construction labor per mile of new pipeline construction in 5 states—Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. There would also be about 60-120 person-years of construction labor to upgrade the existing Keystone pipeline in Kansas. to generate substantial direct and indirect economic benefits for local and regional economies along the pipeline route. ” However, the report also estimates that just 500 to 900 workers are expected to be hired locally—roughly 10-15% of the total workers hired. In some states, this could mean that the number of local workers hired for the project could be fewer than 100. Sub-point 2b: The Cornell study reports more on the economic impacts. The Cornell study better explains the ecnomic impacts of the Keystone XL. Pipe Dreams? Rep. Cornell University Global Labor Institute, Sept. 2011. Web. <. http://www.ilr.cornell.edu...;. Lee, Brianna. "5 Things You Need to Know about the Keystone XL Pipeline. " PBS. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. <. http://www.pbs.org...;. "NRDC: Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks. " Natural Resources Defense Council. 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. <. http://www.nrdc.org...;. "Tar Sands and the Carbon Numbers. " The New York Times. 21 Aug. 2011. Web. <. http://www.nytimes.com...;.