Keystone XL Pipeline Case Study

A Canadian company, Keystone XL Pipeline, wants to export oil from its vast supply into the United States and possibly to other markets as well. Some groups are against the pipeline for various reasons, one of which is they state the oil sands project is harmful to the environment. They further say that the increased oil supply to the US will not make a large dent in our overall consumption and therefore is pointless. I completely disagree with this logic. The increase in the oil supply would be about 5% which is enough to make a significant difference.
Common sense dictates that an increase in supply, with demand remaining the same or dropping, the price of oil will be decreased. That in turn could again increase the demand in which case the price would increase again. The increase in price would lower demand, and on and on.
Furthermore, society currently needs oil. The United States and numerous other countries are working on ways in which we will lessen, and possibly eliminate, our reliance on oil. However, until that happens we need to continue using the resources that are currently available. Mankind is a very intelligent species and is able to create ways to improve our reliance on fossil fuels. Based on current trends it appears we will someday soon be using more “green”
We need the oil to be priced in a way that is affordable. The pipeline would be a great addition to our current means of procuring oil and it will lower the price. Therefore, it is great for the economy and society both. The project will continue with or without the pipeline so discussing the environmental impact seems pointless, although it is great to mention the process is cleaner and will not leave as large of a footprint on the environment as previous