Oil Sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline: Background and Selected Environmental Issues.

The article presents a background and discusses selected environmental issues associated with oil sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline project. The Keystone XL pipeline, if constructed will be transporting crude oil such as synthetic crude oil or diluted bitumen from oil sands in ALberta to U.S. destinations. As the pipeline will cross an international border, a Presidential Perfmit issued by the Department of State (DOS) is required, the decision to be based on national interest determination.