Here's yet another reason to stop the Keystone XL pipeline

U.S. companies are responsible for some of the worst infrastructure in the developed world. And we're trusting them to build a spill-free pipeline from Canada to Texas?

Keystone XL
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, file))

Throughout the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline, I have adduced several arguments to oppose its construction, mostly centered around the absolute necessity of having some kind of mass movement to agitate for action on climate change. The pipeline offers just such an opportunity.

One aspect of the pipeline debate that I have given short shrift, however, is the fact that it will have to be built, at least in part, by American construction companies, which are among the worst in the developed world. TransCanada, the corporation in charge, is a Canadian company, but it will be operating in a U.S. context, which undoubtedly means it will use multiple American subcontractors. This is yet another reason to not approve this pipeline.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.