Keystone+XL+Pipeline+Hearing



http://video.pbs.org/video/2151198168/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078

=Dirty Oil and Shovel-Ready Jobs = //A role play on tar sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline//

Which country is the No. 1 supplier of oil to the United States? Saudi Arabia? No. Iraq? No. Russia? No! It's Canada!!! Most of that oil comes from the tar sands located in northern Alberta, in an area roughly the size of Florida. The Alberta tar sands are home to the world’s second largest deposit of oil, after Saudi Arabia. They are also the source of great controversy, seen by some as “Canada’s greatest treasure” and others as “Canada’s greatest shame.” If approved, the Trans Canada Keystone XL pipeline will transport as much as 700,000 barrels a day of bitumen oil from Alberta's tar sands to oil refineries in Texas.


 * == Who would benefit most from the pipeline? Who would suffer? What would be the pipeline's long-term effect on the environment, economy, and local communities? Should we support or resist increasing the capacity of tar sands? ==

==To confront these questions we will role play. In this role play, groups will take on the character of one of six key stakeholders who have been invited to an imaginary public hearing, to discuss whether or not the State Department and President should approve the Keystone XL pipeline.==

==The Keystone XL pipeline project is unique in that it does not have to go through Congress. Because the pipeline comes from Canada, it is a foreign project and foreign projects don't need approval from Congress. They need approval from the State Department. So the State Department, under the leadership of Secretary of State, has to decide whether this pipeline in in the U.S. national interest. It they decide that it is, then the President has the last word.==


 * Preparing for the Role Play**

There are six different groups that have a vested interest in the outcome of the Keystone XL pipeline:

> =**TransCanada:**= > Our company builds the infrastructure that transports energy throughout North America. As the proposed constructor of the pipeline, we have come to the public hearing to clear up any confusion surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline. We want to assure the secretary of state and all those attending the hearing that the pipeline will be safe, will not cause damage to communities or the environment, and will provide thousands of jobs at a time when millions of Americans are unemployed. > > =**American Petroleum Institute**:= > API represents and speaks on behalf of 480 oil and natural gas companies. We support the Keystone XL pipeline and call on President Obama to fulfill his promise to create thousands of jobs by approving this project immediately. Let’s face it, the Canadian tar sands are already being developed, and the Keystone pipeline will allow the United States to secure the energy we need from a friendly and reliable trading partner: Canada. Tar sands oil is a source of ethical oil. Not like Saudi Arabia, which exported 400 million barrels of oil to the United States last year. Why should we trade with a country that does not allow its women to vote, drive, or even leave the house without a man? By getting our oil from Canada, we will stop funding the oppression of women. > > =**Republican Party:**= > We represent members of the Republican Party, including presidential candidates. We support the Keystone XL pipeline because it is a shovel-ready, multibillion-dollar project that will create thousands of jobs. Extreme environmental groups are opposed to the pipeline because they say it will damage the environment and cause global warming. They are flat-out wrong. Pipelines are the safest way to transport oil. Global warming is nothing more than an unproven theory. We need to stop wasting our time with unproven theories and start providing jobs for the American people. > > =**Environmental Activists:**= > We are completely opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline and to the development of the Alberta tar sands. In fact, we were among the thousands of activists who protested outside the White House for two weeks in August 2011 and circled the White House in November to tell President Obama to reject this pipeline. This pipeline will be “game over for the climate.” We must dramatically reduce carbon emissions. We must decrease the capacity of the tar sands, not increase it. President Obama keeps saying that he wants to do something about climate change but Congress won’t let him. Well, Congress has no say in this project, so here is Mr. Obama’s chance to prove that he is serious about protecting the environment and reducing climate change. > > =**Indigenous Environmental Network:**= > Our network works to protect the environment and build sustainable communities. We are completely opposed to the tar sands and to the Keystone XL pipeline. Don’t believe the oil companies when they say that “everything is fine” in northern Alberta or that tar sands oil is ethical. Tar sands oil is destroying our cultural heritage, ecosystems, and health. In the First Nations communities surrounding the tar sands, there are dangerously high rates of cancer. If you were to see with your own eyes how lives are being sacrificed for oil money, you, too, would be completely opposed to this project. > > =**Bold Nebraska:**= > We represent people from all walks of life and political parties who are opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline. If constructed, it would cross through the Nebraska Sand Hills, a fragile ecosystem where a lot of our cattle are raised. It would kick farmers off land that their families have farmed for generations. The pipeline would cross the Ogallala Aquifer, our cleanest source of water, which we use not only for drinking, but also for Nebraska’s main economic activity, agriculture. We are very concerned about leaks. TransCanada is lying when it says that the pipeline will be safe. We know that there were 12 spills in 12 months on TransCanada’s Keystone I pipeline. We call on President Obama to follow through with his election promises of healing the planet and reject this project.

= The roles of each group are based on information found on the organizations' web sites and in media interviews given by their representatives. =

= Once groups are decided, each group will prepare for the public hearing. =

=Once you have identified three to five arguments, appoint one member of the group to be an expert on each of the arguments and to summarize the argument in your own words.=
 * == First read the role playing handout silently before working together to make a list of main arguments and summarize that argument in words. ==


 * The experts' task is to explain their arguements during the group's introductory speech, raise it with other groups,, and be prepared to defend or respond to that issue when it is raised by another group. Dividing the main points up this way ensures that all group members have a role. Once roles are decided prepare for the hearing by introducing yourselves to the other members of your group and explaining why you are either for or against the pipeline.
 * = Finally, make an identifying placard for your group. =

**Public Hearing Question Prompt: Should the President Approve the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline?** **Where Do You Stand on the Pipeline?** **HERE IS A COPY OF THE PDF FILE WITH LINKS THAT YOU CAN CUT AND PASTE**
 * 1) Each group will make a brief introductory statement, presenting the group to the class and stating whether or not they were in favor of the pipeline.
 * 2) Once we hear the arguments of each stakeholder groups' position, the Secretary of State will ask for a show of hands from those who would like to begin.
 * 3) A speakers list will be started on the board. At any time, you can raise your hand to be added to the list.
 * 4) When it is time to end the hearing the Secretary of State will thank everyone for attending the public hearing, and assure them that their comments and concerns will get back to President Obama.
 * 5) We will then take a vote for or against the pipeline, based on what we learned during the town hall meeting.