The State Department is seeking citizen input on the pipeline, which would be owned by a Canadian company and would pass through Oklahoma.
left, Protesters gather Aug. 23 at a
Keystone XL demonstration at the White House.
The planned pipeline has been criticized by some. The Sierra Club said it plans to attend the meeting and that the pipeline could result in a toxic spill that “could contaminate Oklahoma’s land and water resources for decades,” according to a media release. “The existing Keystone pipeline had 12 spills in 12 months. This expansion is not in our state or national interest.”
Others, however, praised the potential pipeline for its job creation potential and the possibility of reducing America’s use of oil from overseas.
“The Keystone XL pipeline will be a valuable piece of infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs and increasing our energy and national security,” said Michael Reeves, president of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance. “By providing refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast with more than 700,000 barrels of oil each day from domestic and Canadian resources, this pipeline will dramatically reduce our reliance on oil from unreliable and often unfriendly sources.”
The State Department will take both oral and written comments, and the meeting is scheduled for 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Reed Center Exhibition Hall, 5800 Will Rogers Road, in Midwest City.
Photo by Josh Lopez
