How many jobs would the Keystone pipe line create?

Would the Keystone oil pipeline create non-construction-related jobs?

• I can imagine all the jobs created to build the pipeline, but would it create any sustained, increases in employment?

• Answer:

  My opinion is that it would create very few increased jobs. Oil and gas pipelines actually could be said to eliminate jobs, because they move the product more efficiently than trucks or trains. "Job Creation" is never a reason to tackle a project. If it were, we'd all be digging ditches and filling them back in again. Projects should be judged on their merits - those being whether they are beneficial to us as a nation. I can't claim to be an expert on the Keystone, but my reading is that much of the oil would be exported. Even if this were not the case, the US currently is dealing with an excess of fossil fuel energy in the form of natural gas. Our energies might be better expended on energy efficiency and use of cleaner fuels. The oil from the tar sand in Canada, which is what this pipeline will feed to the states, is problematic in that it requires vast amounts of energy to mine and process. Also, we must keep in mind that the oil isn't going anywhere - in these matters, the worst that can happen is that future generations will still be able to fly in jets.