If the Keystone XL pipeline is ultimately defeated, Warren Buffett, the BNSF Railway and the Transport Workers Union stand ready to ship one million barrels of toxic bitumen per day overland, along rivers and highways and through countless urban communities with complete disregard for any environmental concerns what so ever.
1) Rail transport will be more expensive that pipeline transmission.
2) Railroad transport will introduce more carbon into the atmosphere.
3) The likelihood of a major catastrophic bitumen spill is exponentially greater with above ground rail transport as opposed to an underground pipeline.
While I remain neutral on the Keystone XL issue, it appears that environmental issues are not best addressed by the defeat of the Keystone XL pipeline.
