Page 8 - Take a Closer Look at Oil

Moving Oil through Pipelines

Workers patrol pipelines. They track oil fl ow on computers.

But oil can leak before anyone spots it. Repairing a leak takes

time. In the meantime, oil keeps spilling.

A pipeline can block an animal migration route. An Alaska
pipeline is raised ten feet in some areas. This lets caribou walk

beneath it. Other sections are buried. Animals can cross on
top. An earthquake broke some supports, but the pipeline did

not leak.

North American Pipeline Plans

More oil pipelines are being planned and built. Keystone

XL would run more than one thousand miles from Alberta
to the U.S. Gulf coast. It would extend the existing Keystone

pipeline. The new XL line would transport up to 830,000
barrels of oil per day from the oil-rich areas of Alberta,

Montana, and North Dakota. People who oppose pipelines
worry about wildlife and oil spills. Supporters say using

the pipelines is a cleaner and safer way to move oil than
using trucks or trains through towns. Others say building

pipelines creates jobs. But many jobs last only until
pipelines are built.

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