U.S. Gas Prices Will Increase if Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline is Built, Study Finds

American drivers will face higher gasoline prices if the Keystone XL Tar Sands pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico were built, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council.  That finding adds to the long list of reasons why the proposed pipeline should not be built, said the study, released today.  “The pipeline’s proponents say it’s the solution to high gas prices. The truth is exactly the opposite —the pipeline would raise gas prices,’’ said Anthony Swift, NRDC attorney. “This is one of the most misunderstood issues surrounding this misguided Canadian project.”  If built, the Keystone XL pipeline daily would transport up to 830,000 barrels of the world’s dirtiest oil through America’s heartlands and breadbasket—diverting oil from Midwestern refineries, which now produce more gasoline per barrel than any other region in the United States.  “The result would be less gasoline for American drivers—and higher prices at the pump,’’ Swift said.