Keystone XL

FACT CHECK: Keystone XL Pipeline Not a Threat to Land, Drinking Water

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CLAIM: A representative from the National Resources Defense Council told ABC News that the Keystone XL pipeline threatens “our land, our drinking water and our communities.”

RATING: False

FACT CHECK

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration notes that pipelines provide “safe movement of extraordinary quantities of energy products to industry and consumers,” while also noting pipelines are “one of the safest and least costly ways to transport energy products.”

The DOT also provides the following facts about pipelines:

  • The nation has more than 2.6 million miles of pipelines,
  • These pipelines deliver trillions of cubic feet
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FACT CHECK: South Dakota Legislation Doesn’t Threaten Free Speech

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CLAIM: The ACLU of South Dakota claims a new state law designed to reduce the risks associated with pipeline construction will “chill free speech” and “blur the line between constitutionally-protected speech and unlawful actions.”

RATING: False

FACT CHECK

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed legislation Wednesday that allows the state to recoup “extraordinary” law enforcement costs associated with protests at the Keystone XL pipeline.

The new laws do two things:

Senate Bill 189 would allow the state, and potentially a third party in partnership with the state, to sue protesters or “riot boosters” for up to three times the

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FACT CHECK: Energy Production Not Impacted By Pipeline Protests

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CLAIM: Environmental activists claim that their actions to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline have been successful in reducing Canadian oil production.

RATING: FALSE

While production cuts have been imposed, they are already proving to be short-lived as more oil begins making its way market via railroad.

FACT CHECK

Oil prices in Canada plunged last fall due to a burgeoning supply glut resulting in large part from a chronic shortage in available pipeline capacity. In response, Alberta—Canada’s largest oil-producing province—imposed a temporary 8.7 percent production cut in order to clear the backlog of oil waiting to be shipped to market. The …

Rising Crude-By-Rail Shipments Bad News for American Agriculture

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Surging U.S. oil and natural gas production has unleashed a new ear of American prosperity. It has also created a myriad of  transportation bottlenecks in production regions across the country. In the absence of adequate pipeline capacity, producers are forced to rely on railroads to ship resources to market.

Most recently, reduced capacity on Enbridge’s Line 3 and the ongoing legal drama over the Keystone XL Pipeline caused the Canadian government to contract 4,400 railway tank cars to move oil to U.S. markets. Crude-by-rail shipments from Canada to the U.S. are already at an historic high, more than doubling …

Anti-Keystone Group Fundraises Off Pipeline Foe’s Viral Video

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CLAIM: Multiple news outlets reported that the person at the center of a new viral video is also a seasoned anti-pipeline advocate and has fought against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

RATING: True

FACT CHECK

The Native American activist at the center of a new viral video is also a seasoned pipeline foe with ties to one of the nation’s more prominent anti-pipeline groups.

Nathan Phillips “is a longtime pipeline fighter and water protector,” according to the Bold Nebraska, a leading anti-pipeline group run by liberal firebrand Jane Kleeb, who gained national notoriety for her opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline. …