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[quote user="WilliamKiesel"] I recently ran across a study comparing modes as to BTU's required to move a ton of freight. I was surprised to learn that pipelines used slightly less BTU's than rail. So, why dig and build a pipeline when adequate railroad capacity exists? <div style="clear:both;"></div> [/quote] As others have mentioned, there is more to the cost of moving oil than just the energy needed to move it.  You have to compare the entire infrastructure cost and also the labor cost for both modes of transport.  There may indeed be some degree of spill containment advantage to rail transport.  But in the big picture, objection to the pipeline is larger than just the worry about the potential for direct environmental damage such as spills.  It is a deeper, philosophical objection to the use of the oil.  So I am not convinced that our regulators would give an automatic green light to moving the oil by rail, even if it did prove to be a cost effective option.
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