If oil were to reach groundwater, movement of oil and any resulting contaminants that enter groundwater would be slow and limited in scope, likely to hundreds of feet at most, even in sandy soils and even in the vast Ogallala and High Plains aquifers.

Throughout North America, communities and individuals rely on clean groundwater for drinking. In Nebraska, the Ogallala and High Plains aquifers are special, containing high-quality water resources that help Nebraska to be a leader in food production for the country and the world as well as contributing to the quality of life for residents who rely on the water for drinking. While Keystone XL incorporates unprecedented safety measures to reduce the risk of a release, the viability of these critical resources is safe even if there were a release that reached groundwater.

Hydrocarbons, including the crude oils that will be transported in Keystone XL as well as refined petroleum products (such as diesel fuel, gasoline, etc.), behave very differently in groundwater than other common contaminants, such as nitrates. In groundwater, hydrocarbons are consumed by naturally occurring microbes, which limits their spread. Movement of dissolved hydrocarbon constituents typically is limited to less than 300 feet from the source. Movement is only in the direction of the flow of water through the ground. The rate of movement before equilibrium is established is slower than the movement of the groundwater.

The inherent limitations on the impacts of an oil spill in groundwater is one of the reasons why the integrity of Nebraska’s aquifers has been safe despite oil wells in western Nebraska that have been pulling oil up through the aquifer from reserves below since the 1940s and despite pipelines moving vast quantities of petroleum across the aquifer in Nebraska since the 1950s.

For more information: See “Pipeline Safety and the Ogallala Aquifer” fact sheet. Additional information is also available in the Keystone XL Final EIS, Section 3.13. See the U.S. Department of State New Keystone XL Pipeline Application.

The U.S. relies on imports of crude oil such as Keystone XL will deliver to meet its needs with or without exports of any petroleum products.

In addition to displacing offshore imports of crude oil into the U.S. with North American oil from its closest trading partner, Keystone XL also will help reduce U.S. imports overall by delivering increased domestic crude oil production from the Dakotas and Montana to U.S. refineries. By moving domestic production from the area in the U.S. that is seeing the greatest growth, Keystone XL is responsive to the need for additional pipeline capacity from the northern plains.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. exports of petroleum products (diesel fuel, gasoline, etc.) in 2011 were greater than imports for the first time in more than 60 years. However, the EIA also clarifies that the U.S. relied on net imports (imports minus exports) for about 45% of the total petroleum needs(both crude oil and petroleum products) that were consumed domestically in 2011.

EIA data also clarifies that, with the exception of very small volumes often swapped with Canada, crude oil generally is not exported from the U.S.

For more information: See www.eia.gov. In addition, the federal government’s “Keystone XL Final Environmental Impact Statement” addresses the related issue of the rumored export of oil from Keystone XL in Appendix in the U.S. Department of State New Keystone XL Pipeline Application.

For more information: See the Battelle study. Additional information is available in Section 6.3 of the NDEQ “Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute,” available from the NDEQ homepage. Information is also available in the Final EIS, Section 3.13.

In peak summer heat and under the hottest conditions anywhere in the pipeline system, the temperature of the oil will not exceed 150°. (All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit.) In Nebraska, the hottest pipe temperature is expected to remain below 120°, even in peak summer under the hottest local conditions. At times other than peak summer, maximum temperatures will be lower.

Because the pipe is buried four feet below the ground, the soil temperatures at the surface and in critical growth zones for crops will be significantly less. In winter, the ground will still freeze, though directly over the pipe, it may freeze more slowly and thaw more quickly than adjacent ground.

The oil is not heated to prior to the shipment. Instead, the temperature generally increases due to pumping as the oil moves through the pipeline. That is one reason why temperatures in Nebraska will be lower than those that may occur at the southern end of the pipeline system. Lower pumping volumes, thinner oil, and lower ambient temperature will produce maximum temperatures below those listed above.

Crops, rangeland and other land uses are not expected to be adversely impacted. However, Keystone remains responsible and will compensate landowners for any adverse impacts caused by the pipeline, including any reduction in yield caused by pipeline temperature.

For more information: The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ)“Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute” addresses pipeline temperature and potential effects in Chapter 4, Section 4.10 and in Appendix E.2. The document is available from the NDEQ homepage. The federal government’s “Keystone XL Final Environmental Impact Statement” addresses pipeline temperature and potential effects in Chapter 3.2, Soils and Sediments, Section 3.2.2.3 Operational Impacts. See the U.S. Department of State New Keystone XL Pipeline Application.

To reduce the risk of a leak, Keystone XL incorporates measures into each stage of the project, from design, through construction and operation of the pipeline, such as:

• Using tougher steel with special characteristics that prevent puncture;
• Inspecting 100% of the welds that join the pipe; 
• Implementation of an effective corrosion-prevention program (including an epoxy pipe coating and cathodic protection); 
• Periodic “in-line” inspections, in which an instrumented device is run through the pipeline, creating a map of pipeline wall thickness and integrity; 
• Prevention of excavation damage through measures including increased depth of cover, increased puncture resistance, participation in the Nebraska One-Call program, use of pipeline markers and through an active public outreach program; 
• Regular aerial patrols of the pipeline right of way help TransCanada to promptly address issues, which could affect the integrity of the pipeline.

Many of Keystone’s leak prevention measures are required for any pipeline moving petroleum or other potentially hazardous substances, including the thousand miles of pipeline that have been operating for decades in Nebraska. Other measures go beyond requirements. Keystone has adopted these additional measures into its internal processes and has voluntarily committed to these measures as a part of the formal regulatory requirements with which the pipeline must comply in order to operate. These commitments are part of what has led federal reviewers to conclude that Keystone XL will be the safest pipeline built to date.

In addition to working to minimize the potential for a release, Keystone also incorporates the most capable leak detection systems and practices. A data system continuously monitors the pipeline system parameters, including pressures and flow rates, sending information to a control center that is staffed 24 hours per day. The data is assessed via several complementary methods to identify any leak. Pressure changes are indicative of a large leak. Smaller leaks will result in a mismatch of oil entering and leaving the affected portion of the system. Volume trending assists in identifying low-rate or seepage releases. The regular aerial patrols and the public outreach program mentioned above also assist in identification of leaks.

For more information: The NDEQ “Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute” addresses leak prevention and detection in section 6.1.1. The document is available on the NDEQ website. The federal government’s “Keystone XL Final Environmental Impact Statement” addresses leak prevention and detection in section 2.4.2.1, 2-51. (See “Archived Documents”).

All crude oils, as well as gasoline and diesel fuel, contain benzene. Oil to be shipped on Keystone XL will include bitumen from the oil sands in Canada that has been diluted with lighter oils. Most often, these lighter oils used as diluents will be natural gas liquids.

Like other oil pipelines in service in Nebraska, Keystone XL will deliver oil from U.S. sources and from the Canadian oil sands. Oils to be shipped on Keystone XL include light sweet crudes, synthetic crude oils (partially refined bitumen), and diluted bitumen. Concentrations of benzene and similar components that result in the requirements to meet safety requirements in the shipment (including toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, typically abbreviated with benzene as BTEX) are present in the oils shipped on Keystone XL at a lower concentration than in diesel fuels or gasoline.

For more information: Additional information is available in Section 6.3 of the NDEQ “Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute,” available from the NDEQ homepage. Information is also available in the Final EIS, Section 3.13.

No the oil shipped on the Keystone XL is not corrosive to the pipeline.

Although some of the oil will be derived from the oil sands, only oil is shipped. The sand is separated at the source. A recent Battelle study (July 2012), confirms that the oil is not corrosive. Rather, according to the study, it is comparable to other heavy crude oils, “such as those produced in Venezuela, Mexico, and California, which have been transported and refined in U.S. for decades.”

For more information: See the Battelle study. Additional information is available in Section 6.3 of the NDEQ “Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute,” available from the NDEQ homepage. Information is also available in the Final EIS, Section 3.13.

Keystone expects to operate the Keystone XL Pipeline in excess of 50 years. If the pipeline were to be taken out of service, the pipe will be purged of its contents, filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, and left in place and intact with appropriate warning signs. Cathodic protection would likely remain functional as would other integrity measures such as periodic inspections under the integrity management plan.

If the pipeline were to be fully decommissioned, those activities would be conducted in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements that are in place at the time of decommissioning, as well as agreements with affected landowners. Such procedures would include safe disconnection from an operating pipeline system, purging of combustibles, and sealing abandoned facilities left in place to minimize safety issues and environmental hazards.

Prior to decommissioning in Nebraska, Keystone would identify the decommissioning procedures it would use along each portion of the route, identify the regulations it would be required to comply with, and submit applications for the appropriate environmental permits.

For more information: Additional information is available in Section 2.6 of the NDEQ “Draft Evaluation Report on the Keystone XL Pipeline Nebraska Reroute,” available from the NDEQ homepage.