Oil: Transportation, Byproducts, and America's Dependency

This was first published on 11/21/2014 on a blog I wrote for previously (which is no longer being updated).

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2012, the United States lead the world in oil consumption.  Thoughts of gas chugging vehicles may come to mind, but there is much more to oil consumption than meets the eye.  After oil is refined, you end up with gasoline and oil byproducts.  About 1/3 of oil is used for oil byproducts while most of the remaining oil is used in gasoline consumption.

Because of the constant attention towards the extension of the Keystone Pipeline, many issues have been brought up in conversations related to America's dependency upon oil.  Is pipeline the best was to transport oil?  Can America possibly lessen its dependency on oil?  Do people realize how often they come into contact with oil byproducts?  Essentially, do we fully understand why oil is important to our everyday lives, and not just the profits of the oil industry? 

Step One: Understand the Transportation of Oil & Their Dangers

We all know oil is extracted and must be refined.  According to a Forbes.com article comparing the safety of transporting oil, "in the U.S., 70% of crude oil and petroleum products are shipped by pipeline. 23% of oil shipments are on tankers and barges over water. Trucking only accounts for 4% of shipments, and rail for a mere 3%. In Canada, it’s even more lopsided. Almost all (97%) of natural gas and petroleum products are transported by pipelines."

Mode of transportation is important to understand because most of the pollution due to oil spills during transportation is reported when it happens over water.  The Exxon Valdez oil spill made headlines for years.  However, in recent years, oil spills due to transport by rail has skyrocketed, yet these incidents are not widely reported and most people simply do not know about them unless they live in or near the area of the spill.  

Here are some important figures supplied by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, published June 2013:  

• Pipelines have been used to transport American natural gas or oil, including from Canada to the United States, for three quarters of a century. Almost 500,000 miles of interstate pipeline crisscross America, carrying crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas. This extensive and operational infrastructure network is heavily regulated by the Department of Transportation, which monitors the very issues central to the Keystone controversy: safety and reliability.
• In addition to enjoying a substantial cost advantage, pipelines result in fewer spillage incidents and personal injuries than road and rail.
• If safety and environmental damages in the transportation of oil and gas were proportionate to the volume of shipments, one would expect the vast majority of damages to occur on pipelines. ... The majority of incidents occur on road and rail.
• A pipeline incident must be reported if any of the following occur: (1) Explosion or fire not intentionally set by the operator; (2) Release of five gallons or more of a hazardous liquid (any petroleum or petroleum product) or carbon dioxide; (3) Fatality; (4) Personal injury necessitating hospitalization; and (5) Property damage, including cleanup costs, and the value of lost product, and the damage to the property of the operator or others, or both, estimated to exceed $50,000.
• Road and rail have higher rates of serious incidents and injuries than pipelines, even though more road and rail incidents go unreported
• Pipeline transportation is safer than transportation by road, rail, or barge, as measured by incidents, injuries, and fatalities
• Rail companies are required to report all hazmat releases, but pipeline incidents only require a report if at least 5 gallons of the material are leaked or there is an injury. 

With the information I gathered, it does appear oil transportation by pipeline is safer and has less environmental impact.  However, the issue with the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) isn't just about safety.  Other issues surround the extraction of tar sands and its impact on the environment, especially from the tar sands in Canada.  Also, the number of permanent jobs created by KXL has been estimated to be around 50, although thousands of temporary jobs would be created while installing the pipeline.  Also, the steel used for the pipeline would not be produced in America, and the manufacturer of the steel pipes have been known for poor quality, which could lead to more spills and leaks than what America already faces.  Ultimately, the KXL would not be supplying the oil to America.  It would simply be refined here and then sold to other countries.  Theories also suggest it would actually raise the cost of oil, especially in the Midwest.  If a new pipeline were laid across America, it should be made from American steel manufacturers and benefit America, not Canada or other countries where the oil is exported.

Step Two: Lessen Our Dependency upon Oil

If 66% of America's oil dependency is used for fuel, then that is where the biggest change needs to happen.  There are alternatives to conventional gasoline to fuel our vehicles.  Here's the rundown, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center:

• Biodiesel
• Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease for use in diesel vehicles. Biodiesel's physical properties are similar to those of petroleum diesel, but it is a cleaner-burning alternative. Using biodiesel in place of petroleum diesel, especially in older vehicles, can reduce emissions. Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease for use in diesel vehicles. Biodiesel's physical properties are similar to those of petroleum diesel, but it is a cleaner-burning alternative. Using biodiesel in place of petroleum diesel, especially in older vehicles, can reduce emissions.
• Biodiesel is a domestically produced, clean-burning, renewable substitute for petroleum diesel. Using biodiesel as a vehicle fuel increases energy security, improves public health and the environment, and provides safety benefits
• Electricity
• Electricity can be used to power all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. These vehicles can draw electricity directly from the grid and other off-board electrical power sources and store it in batteries. Hybrid electric vehicles use electricity to boost fuel efficiency. Using electricity to power vehicles can have significant energy security and emissions benefits.
• Hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles can help increase energy security, improve fuel economy, lower fuel costs, and reduce emissions.
• Ethanol
• Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials. The use of ethanol is widespread—almost all gasoline in the U.S. contains ethanol in a low-level blend. Ethanol is also available as E85—a high-level ethanol blend—for use in flexible fuel vehicles.
• Ethanol is a renewable, domestically produced transportation fuel. Whether used in low-level blends, such as E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline), or in E85 (a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on geography and season), ethanol helps reduce imported oil and greenhouse gas emissions. Like any alternative fuel, there are some considerations to take into account when contemplating the use of ethanol.
• Hydrogen
• Hydrogen is a potentially emissions-free alternative fuel that can be produced from diverse domestic energy sources. Research is under way to make hydrogen vehicles practical for widespread use.
• Hydrogen can be produced from diverse domestic resources with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Once produced, hydrogen generates power without exhaust emissions in fuel cells. It holds promise for growth in both the stationary and transportation energy sectors.
• Natural Gas
• Natural gas is a domestically produced gaseous fuel, readily available through the utility infrastructure. This clean-burning alternative fuel can be used in vehicles as either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).
• Compressed and liquefied natural gas are clean, domestically produced alternative fuels. Using these fuels in natural gas vehicles increases energy security and can lower emissions. Using renewable natural gas provides even more benefits. Like any alternative fuel, there are some considerations to take into account when contemplating the use of CNG or LNG.
• Propane
• Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or autogas, has been used worldwide as a vehicle fuel for decades. It is stored as a liquid, and propane fueling infrastructure is widespread.
• Also known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane is a domestically produced, well-established, clean-burning fuel. Using propane as a vehicle fuel increases energy security, provides convenience and performance benefits, and improves public health and the environment.

We all could make an effort to lower our dependency on gasoline by using alternative fuels when possible, or by changing our mode of transportation.  Many cities have already converted buses, city trucks, and the like to use biodiesel.  When it is time to purchase a new vehicle, make an effort to choose the most fuel efficient vehicle for your needs.  Years ago, the SUV market soared before gasoline prices started to rise and eventually hit their all-time high.  However, even in the truck market, newer vehicles are better on fuel economy than just two years ago.  Even I downsized from a truck getting an average 18 mpg to a small SUV that still fits my family's needs, but averages close to 30 mpg, and it has FlexFuel capability.  Bonus: my vehicle payment and insurance is less, too.  I'm saving money and improved my fuel economy.  

Essentially, it boils down to individual Americans making a change with their mode of transportation.  Whether it's a different, more efficient vehicle, use of public transportation when possible, ride sharing, or choosing a bicycle over a car (which is possible in some areas of the country, but certainly not all), each and every individual can help make a dent in America's oil dependency.

Step Three: Understand that right now, you are either wearing something, or are sitting on or near an item manufactured with an oil byproduct.

Oil (petroleum) byproducts are absolutely essential to the modern world.  Sports fans, I've got news for you, footballs, golf balls, Frisbees, poker chips,  even shotgun shells are made with oil byproducts.  Ladies, your lipstick, mascara, hair dryers, hairspray, and even your facial moisturizer is made with an oil byproduct.  Crayons: oil byproduct.  Egg cartons: oil byproduct.  The list is endless.  None of the above items lack some sort of oil byproduct in its manufacturing process.  Clothing, office products, furniture, food storage containers, beauty products, sports and crafting supplies, infant essentials like bottle nipples, bibs, pacifiers, are all made with an oil byproduct.  

I would be that within a one foot radius of where you are right this second, you will find one, if not dozens of items that have been made with an oil byproduct.  

Here are a few links with lists if you want to see just how far oil goes:

http://www.energy4me.org/energy-facts/energy-sources/petroleum/11/
http://www-tc.pbs.org/independentlens/classroom/wwo/petroleum.pdf

Now What?

After doing the research, here are some suggestions on what we can do to make oil extraction and transportation safer, and dependency work for the consumers as much as it does big oil companies:

• Pipelines are safer than rail or truck transportation.
• Make sure American steel and construction is used for pipeline installation and upkeep.
• Create jobs by rebuilding the infrastructure that is crumbling.  If the rail system and the cargo holds for oil were up to modern standards, less accidents would occur, and the tanks carrying the oil would be less likely to puncture.  That means less oil spills.
• Increase regulations for truckers transporting oil or gasoline.  Truck drivers are known for long hours which can reduce their cognitive abilities.  That means more accidents.  Take a look at the trucking industry, and improve their transport quality.
• Reduce your individual consumption of gasoline
• Oil is extracted for gasoline for the most part and the left overs go into the manufacturing industry.  Find a way to get better miles per gallon, or use alternative fuels.  
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Upcycle
• Byproducts go to manufacturing industries.  If demand for gasoline goes down, so will fuel prices.  The catch-22 on this is that the byproduct availability will also go down, possibly causing a shortage of the items needed to manufacture new products.
• Stop consuming so much.  Period.  Did you take a look at the list of goods made from oil by-products?  Do you realize just how much of that is gone to waste when someone is done with it?  If it isn't broken, donate it.  Upcycle it into something new.  Take an old garment bag, combine it with an old fake fur, and sew it together to make some kind of hipster vest.  You get my point.  If you can't use it, and it still has life left in it, donate it to thrift stores, rescue missions, charity, you get my drift. 
• STOP being lazy and just throwing things away.  Seriously.  

Once a new session of Congress is seated, we will probably see the Keystone XL Pipeline come up for another vote.  Obama may not veto it.  I know we are all worried about the environment and spills or leaks, but the science is there.  I'm anti-Keystone, and science tells us that pipelines are safer.  

There's no denying the fact that the Keystone issue is, once again, deeper than just a pipeline.  It isn't going to benefit America or its workers.  However, if you see more talk about new pipeline ideas, don't automatically shut it down.  It can work for us.  Put it in the hands of America, to benefit America, and regulate the hell out of it.  That's what will keep the environment safe.  Also, stop extracting tar sands through deforestation.  That's about as sensible as a dialysis patient taking shots of whiskey while hooked up to the machine.  

We want to keep living on Earth (or at least, I do since I don't see any other places to inhabit).  This means we have to think about what we do, how we do it, how we get to where we are going, and try to leave no trace.  The more you try to live life this way, the easier it becomes.  I'm not trying to go all-out hippie on you.  I'm just using science, factual data, and common sense to tell you all that each one of us can make a difference.  

Keep aware.  Make others aware.  Take action!