Political Contestations Around Keystone Xl Pipeline In The United States

Gabriel Ari Yudistiro, Maharani Hapsari

2016 | Skripsi | Ilmu Hubungan Internasional

ABSTRACT The issue of oil pipeline has been increasingly more salient in American politics in recent years, notably related to the case of Keystone XL. The United States is currently covered in an extensive and complex network of energy pipeline infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Transportation (2014) estimates there are over 4 million kilometers of pipelines crossing around the country. Actually, most of the construction of these pipelines usually went without being noticed by the public, however, a series of high-profile events such as accidents, spills, and diplomatic lobbying efforts by the Canadian government have attracted national and international eyes on this issue, thus making it become highly controversial in American politics. The main issue on the Keystone XL pipeline is that it requires a presidential approval since the pipeline is crossing international borders. In such construction, a proposed project must receive a presidential approval through first being assessed under U.S. State Department. Subsequently, the U.S. State Department must decide if a project is in the national interest, and this determination generally takes place after the consideration of whole aspect assessment, ranging from economic, energy, and compulsorily, the consideration of environmental impacts, before ultimately final decision is to be made by the President. During the period of waiting Presidential approval since the proposal submission in 2008, TransCanada had been facing challenges from their opponents, notably from interest groups of locals, landowners, ranchers, farmers, indigenous groups, and particularly environmentalists. They have successfully influenced the policy makers that President Obama eventually rejected the proposal in November 2015 in the basis of insignificancy to serve national interest. By looking at the contestation between the proponents and the opponents of the project as the crux of this paper, the writer would like to address the question of how this contestation did take place. Accordingly, the analysis of territorialization conducted by TransCanada and how pluralism reflects the counter territorialization action by the affected communities will be the focal points in this paper. Keywords: Keystone XL, Territorialization, Pluralism, Interest Groups in The U.S., Oil Pipeline. Word Count: 13,275 words

Kata Kunci : Politik Pluralisme