New oil pipeline proposed

According to the Wall Street Journal, two companies joined forces today and proposed to build a pipeline that would move oil from Cushing, Oklahoma to Houston, Texas.  The pipeline would be a small alternative to the more controversial TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada through Cushing to the Gulf Coast.  The Wall Street Journal reports that oil imports from the Canadian tar sands are building up in Cushing and that the new proposed pipeline will provide an outlet for this extra oil.

The proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which is a much larger project, will require 1,711 miles of new pipeline according to the U.S. Department of State, and it will need a Presidential Permit from the Department of State because it will cross the United States-Canada border.  If is is approved, it will cross six U.S. states and has--as is typical of large eminent domain projects--encountered strong opposition from landowners and environmental groups. 

-Hannah Wiseman