In January of 2014, the United States Department of the State issued an executive summary of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Within the summary, the State Department listed off various concerns that may arise with the construction of the pipeline. The environmental issue listed included “Climate change, including lifecycle GHG emissions associated with oil sands, potential for releases or spills of oil, wetlands, water resources, including effects on groundwater aquifers” to name a …show more content…
President Obama’s stance on the pipeline has caused this issue to be at the top of the political agenda due to the array of national issues it affects as well as the lack of compromise between Congress and the President. This issue gained both media attention and a spot on the political agenda due to one main disagreement, the Ogallala Aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer one of the largest aquifers in the world. The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline would run very near to this aquifer and, if damaged, could pollute the aquifer. What started as a small legal dispute in Nebraska has turned into a huge battleground on the national