I also find it weird that Keystone XL is the portion that causes so many issues.
The first three phases of Keystone are comparatively inefficient due to trying their best to use old pump stations and old right-of-ways. Keystone XL uses brand new tech for the entire route, with the route itself being far superior from an environmental perspective due to a far more recent and current environmental study.
There's also far less pipe in XL than keystone phase I. Less pipe = less leaks. More capacity means that you can load balance, and lower pressures = less failures.
In many other industries, TransCanada would be heralded - they made a decision to invest in new infrastructure long before it was needed (ie. in 2008) in order to reduce overloading their current infrastructure - unlike Shaw, Telus or Bell, who keep trying to squeeze additional customers onto their overloaded network (and charging more while they're at it!).
It's just so backwards how this entire process has been. I do understand that it's somehow become a proxy fight for the entirety of the world's climate change, but it is still so weird to me.
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