Keystone wouldn’t simply offset oil US imports from Russia

As Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden faced accusations at home that he had made the United States more dependent on Russian oil.

The attacks came in social media posts, on television and, in at least one instance, in a paid ad from the House office of Rep. Jake LaTurner, a Kansas Republican who is seeking re-election to a second term. 

In the ad, which began running on Facebook and Instagram on Feb. 25, the day after the invasion, LaTurner stated: 

"President Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office. This project would have produced 830,000 barrels of oil per day, more than enough to offset what we import from Russia."

The ad draws a misleading relationship between Russian imports and the Keystone pipeline project.

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In May 2021, the U.S. imported more than 800,000 barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia, according to the U.S. Energy Administration. But the latest figures show a general trend downward and that by October 2021, the figure was 595,000.

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The Keystone XL pipeline would have been able to carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil every day, the figure used in LaTurner’s ad.

LaTurner’s office cited reports showing the two figures. 

But the pipeline would have required years of construction and likely faced legal challenges, so it couldn’t have solved today’s demand needs. Even in the future, there would be no certainty that the pipeline could produce a net increase of 800,000 barrels a day. The purpose of the pipeline was to transport oil from Canada that is currently being transported some other way. And, in any event, producers would be under no obligation to sell that oil to the U.S.

Biden on Jan. 20, 2021, his first day in office, used the power of the executive branch to cancel the Keystone, which would have transported crude oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to Steele City, Neb., where it would connect with another leg stretching to Gulf Coast refineries. From there, refined petroleum products could be sold either in the U.S. or to foreign buyers. 

LaTurner represents Kansas’ 2nd District, which covers the Topeka area and points south. The other major candidate for the seat is Democrat Patrick Schmidt, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer. Campaign watchers rate the race as solid  or safe Republican.

LaTurner said in an ad: The Keystone XL pipeline "would have produced 830,000 barrels of oil per day, more than enough to offset what we import from Russia. President Biden's energy agenda has strengthened Putin at the expense of hard-working Kansans."

The transport capacity of the Keystone XL pipeline, which Biden canceled, would have been about 830,000 barrels per day — more than the amount of oil being imported to the United States from Russia. But it’s not as simple as substituting one source for the other. 

The pipeline would have required years of construction and likely faced legal challenges, so it couldn’t have solved today’s demand needs. Even in the future, there would be no certainty that the pipeline could produce a net increase of 800,000 barrels a day, rather than just transporting oil from Canada that is currently being transported some other way. Nor would producers be obligated to sell that entire amount to the U.S.

We rate the statement Half True.