Proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline regularly claim that the pipeline will replace heavy oil from Venezuela and elsewhere if it is built.

In fact just this week, Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) claimed that Venezuela’s recent offer of asylum for whistleblower Edward Snowden is somehow a reason to approve the pipeline.

The reality is that crude delivered by Keystone XL will not replace anything.
- Read the Full Report Here. -
Venezuela, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia own roughly half of the heavy oil refining capacity on the U.S. Gulf Coast.  These refineries will largely continue to refine their own oil, and Canada’s tar sands crude will have to compete with

A new report out today from environmental groups shows that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would, if approved, be responsible for at least 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year, comparable to the tailpipe emissions from more than 37.7 million cars or 51 coal-fired power plants.

New data reveals that a full 60 percent of gasoline produced at Keystone XL refineries was exported.

Existing analyses of the impacts of tar sands fail to account for a byproduct of the process that is a major source of climate change causing carbon emissions: petroleum coke - known as petcoke. Petcoke is the coal hiding in North America's tar sands oil boom.