Leading Scientists, Economists Urge Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
WASHINGTON (February 11, 2015) – More than 90 leading scientists and economists today called on President Obama to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, once and for all. They did so in a in a letter that comes as Congress prepares to send the president a bill forcing the pipeline’s approval that he has already promised to veto.
The letter, sent to Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, urges them to reject the Keystone XL project on grounds that it will exacerbate climate change by unlocking massive development of tar sands, the dirtiest oil on the planet. Among those signing are a Nobel Prize winner in economics, a Nobel Prize winner in physics and lead authors of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.
The scientists and economists, many of whom sent a similar letter last year, noted that the Environmental Protection Agency recently underscored their argument against approving the pipeline. EPA said in comments submitted on February 2nd to the State Department that its own environmental analysis shows that the “development of oil sands crude represents a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Once again, we strongly urge you to reject the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline as a project that will contribute to climate change at a time when we should be doing all we can to put clean energy alternatives in place,” the scientists and economists write. “As you both have made clear, climate change is a very serious problem. We must address climate change by decarbonizing our energy supply. A critical first step is to stop making climate change worse by tapping into disproportionately carbon-intensive energy sources like tar sands bitumen.
“The Keystone XL pipeline will drive expansion of the energy-intensive strip-mining and drilling of tar sands from under Canada’s Boreal forest, increasing global carbon emissions. Keystone XL is a step in the wrong direction.”
The full text of the letter follows:
February 11, 2015
Dear President Obama and Secretary Kerry,
As scientists and economists, we are concerned about climate change and its impacts. In April, 2014, we sent you a similar letter expressing our concerns about climate change and the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Once again, we strongly urge you to reject the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline as a project that will contribute to climate change at a time when we should be doing all we can to put clean energy alternatives in place.
As you both have made clear, climate change is a very serious problem. We must address climate change by decarbonizing our energy supply. A critical first step is to stop making climate change worse by tapping into disproportionately carbon-intensive energy sources like tar sands bitumen. The Keystone XL pipeline will drive expansion of the energy-intensive strip-mining and drilling of tar sands from under Canada’s Boreal forest, increasing global carbon emissions. Keystone XL is a step in the wrong direction.
President Obama, you said in your speech in Georgetown in 2013 that “allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires a finding that doing so would be in our nation’s interest. And our national interest will be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.” Since then we have heard your strong words on the threat of climate change, culminating in your State of the Union speech in which you said, “...no challenge - no challenge - poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.”
We could not agree more. And now more than ever, evidence shows that Keystone XL will significantly contribute to climate change. Fuels produced from tar sands result in more greenhouse gas emissions over their lifecycle than fuels produced from conventional oil, including heavy crudes processed in some Gulf Coast refineries. The Environmental Protection Agency observed in comments to the State Department, “compared to reference crudes, development of oil sands crude represents a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.” As the main pathway for tar sands to reach overseas markets, the Keystone XL pipeline would cause a sizeable expansion of tar sands production and also an increase in the related greenhouse gas pollution.
The State Department review confirmed this analysis under the scenario that best meets the reality of the opposition to alternative pipeline proposals and the higher costs of other ways of transporting diluted bitumen such as rail. The review found:
“The total lifecycle emissions associated with production, refining, and combustion of 830,000 bpd of oil sands crude oil is approximately 147 to 168 MMTCO2e per year. The annual lifecycle GHG emissions from 830,000 bpd of the four reference crudes examined in this section are estimated to be 124 to 159 MMTCO2e. The range of incremental GHG emissions for crude oil that would be transported by the proposed Project is estimated to be 1.3 to 27.4 MMTCO2e annually.”
To put these numbers into perspective, the potential incremental annual emissions of 27.4 MMTCO2e is more than the emissions that seven coal-fired power plants emit in one year. And over the 50-year expected lifespan of the pipeline, the total emissions from Keystone XL could amount to as much as 8.4 billion metric tons CO2e. These are emissions that can and should be avoided with a transition to clean energy.
The contribution of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to climate change is real and important, especially given the commitment of the United States and other world leaders to stay within two degrees Celsius of global warming. We trust that when the State Department reviews the comments of other agencies as well as citizen comments that it will move away from the model it chose to generate “most likely” scenarios, a model that uses business-as-usual energy scenarios that would lead to a catastrophic six degrees Celsius rise in global warming. Rejecting Keystone XL is necessary for the United States to be consistent with its climate commitments. Six degrees Celsius of global warming has no place in a sound climate plan.
Secretary Kerry, in your speech in Jakarta, you said, “The science of climate change is leaping out at us like a scene from a 3D movie – warning us – compelling us to act.” Rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a critical decision, showing we can act, and would be based on sound science.
As the international community prepares to negotiate a new climate agreement in Paris later this year, the world is looking to the United States to lead through strong climate action at home. Now is the time to reject.
Sincerely,
John Abraham, Ph.D.
Professor of Engineering
University of St. Thomas
David Ackerly, Ph.D.
Professor
University of California, Berkeley
Rev. Michael Agliardo, SJ, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
Loyola University Chicago
Philip W. Anderson, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor
Nobel Laureate Physics 1977
Princeton University
Tim Arnold, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Met Office Hadley Center
Kenneth J. Arrow, Ph.D.
Nobel Prize (Economics 1972)
Professor Emeritus of Economics and of Management
Stanford University
Roger Bales, Ph.D.
Professor of Engineering
& Director
Sierra Nevada Research Institute
University of California, Merced
Paul H. Beckwith
Part-Time Professor, Climatology/Meteorology
Department of Geography
University of Ottawa
Anthony Bernhardt, Ph.D.
Physicist (retired)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Damian C. Brady, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marine Science
Darling Marine Center
University of Maine
Gordon Bromley, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
School of Earth and Climate Sciences/Climate Change Institute
University of Maine
Gary Brouhard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
McGill University
Ken Caldeira, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Department of Global Ecology
Carnegie Institution for Science
Grant Cameron, Ph.D.
Data Manager, Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Shelagh D. Campbell, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta
Kai M. A. Chan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Tier 2 Canada Research Chair Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services
Graduate Advisor, RMES Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability
University of British Columbia
Eugene Cordero, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Meteorology and Climate Science
San Jose State University
Rosemary Cornell, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Simon Fraser University
Gretchen C. Daily, Ph.D.
Bing Professor of Environmental Science
Stanford University
Miriam Diamond, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Toronto
Lawrence M. Dill, Ph.D., FRSC
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Daniel Dixon, Ph.D.
University Sustainability Coordinator
& Research Assistant Professor, Climate Change Institute
University of Maine
Simon Donner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Climatology
University of British Columbia
Roland Droitsch, Ph.D.
President
KM21 Associates
Steve Easterbrook, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science
University of Toronto
Anne Ehrlich, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist Emerita
Center for Conservation Biology
Biology Department
Stanford University
T. Todd Elvins, Ph.D.
Vice President
Pacific Integrated Energy, Inc.
David Foster, Ph.D.
Director
Harvard Forest
Harvard University
Alejandro Frid, Ph.D.
Science Coordinator/Ecologist
Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance
Jed Fuhrman, Ph.D.
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
& McCulloch-Crosby Chair of Marine Biology
University of Southern California
Eric Galbraith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Planetary Science
McGill University, Montreal Canada
Geoffrey Gearheart, Ph.D.
Scientist
Center for Marine Biodiversity and Biomedicine
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
John R. Glover, Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry
University of Toronto
Gary Griggs, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Director, Institute of Marine Sciences
University of California, Santa Cruz
Steven Hackett, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Economics
Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA
Joshua B. Halpern, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry
Howard University
Gordon Hamilton, Ph.D.
Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences
University of Maine
Alexandra Hangsterfer
Geological Collections Manager
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
James Hansen, Ph.D.
Director
Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program
Columbia University Earth Institute
John Harte, Ph.D.
Professor of Ecosystem Sciences
University of California, Berkeley
H. Criss Hartzell, Ph.D.
Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
Danny Harvey, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Geography
University of Toronto
Karen Holl, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz
Roger LeB. Hooke, Ph.D.
Research Professor
Department of Geological Sciences
& Climate Change Institute
University of Maine
Robert Howarth, Ph.D.
The David R. Atkinson Professor of Ecology & Environmental Biology
Cornell University
Jonathan Isham, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
Middlebury College
Mark Jaccard, Ph.D.
University Professor
School of Resource and Environmental Management
Simon Fraser University
Louise E. Jackson, Ph.D.
Professor
University of California, Davis
Pete Jumars, Ph.D.
Professor of Marine Sciences
Darling Marine Center
University of Maine
David Keith, Ph.D.
Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) & Professor of Public Policy
Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
Jeremy T. Kerr, Ph.D.
University Research Chair in Macroecology and Conservation
& Professor of Biology
University of Ottawa, Canada
Keith W. Kisselle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology & Environmental Science and Academic Chair
Center for Environmental Studies
Austin College
Janet E. Kübler, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
California State University at Northridge
Sherman Lewis, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Political Science
California State University Hayward
Michael E. Loik, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz
Michael C. MacCracken, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs
Climate Institute
Scott A. Mandia
Professor and Assistant Chair
Department of Physical Sciences
Suffolk County Community College
Michael Mann, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Meteorology & Director of Earth System Science Center
Penn State University
Damon Matthews, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
James J. McCarthy, Ph.D.
Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography
Harvard University
Susan K. McConnell, Ph.D.
Susan B. Ford Professor & HHMI Professor
Dunlevie Family University Fellow
Department of Biology
Stanford University
Dominick Mendola, Ph.D.
Senior Development Engineer
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Faisal Moola, Ph.D.
Director General
Ontario and Northern Canada
David Suzuki Foundation
& Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Forestry
University of Toronto
Jens Mühle, Dr. rer. nat.
Associate Project Scientist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Dustin Mulvaney, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sustainable Energy Resources
Department of Environmental Studies
San Jose State University
Bill Nye
Science Educator
Richard B. Norgaard, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Energy and Resources
University of California, Berkeley
Gretchen North, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Occidental College
Dana Nuccitelli
Environmental Scientist
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Michael Oppenheimer, Ph.D.
Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs
Princeton University
Michael Oppenheimer, Ph.D.
Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs
Princeton University
Wendy J. Palen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Simon Fraser University
Edward A. Parson, Ph.D.
Dan and Rae Emmett Professor of Environmental Law
& Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment
UCLA School of Law
Raymond T. Pierrehumbert, Ph.D.
Louis Block Professor in the Geophysical Sciences
The University of Chicago
Richard Plevin, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California, Davis
John Pollack
Meteorologist and National Weather Service forecaster (retired)
Jessica Dawn Pratt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of California at Irvine
Lynne M. Quarmby, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Simon Fraser University
Alan Robock, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Climatology
Rutgers University
R. Cotton Rockwood
Center for Marine Biodiversity & Conservation
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Thomas Roush, MD
NRDC Board Trustee
Maureen E. Ryan, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Simon Fraser University
Anne K. Salomon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Resource and Environmental Management
Simon Fraser University
Benjamin D. Santer, Ph.D.
Atmospheric Scientist
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
& Member
U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Peter C. Schulze, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Environmental Science
& Director, Center for Environmental Studies
Austin College
Peter Schwartz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
California Polytechnic State University
Jason Scorse, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Monterrey Institute of International Studies
Middlebury College
Leonard S. Sklar, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Earth & Climate Sciences
San Francisco State University
Richard C. J. Somerville, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Brandon M. Stephens
Graduate Student Researcher
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
John M.R. Stone, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Carleton University
David Suzuki, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor
Sustainable Development Research Institute
University of British Columbia
Jennifer Taylor, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California, San Diego
Till Wagner, Ph.D.
Scientist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Anthony LeRoy Westerling, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and Geography
University of California, Merced
Kirsten Zickfeld, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Simon Fraser University