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Keystone XL and Other Pipelines Get Some Much-Needed Political Leverage

By Tyler Crowe – Jan 16, 2014 at 4:00PM

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TransCanada, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, and Enbridge have all been looking for some extra incentive to build oil sands pipelines and the recent oil-via-rail incidents are just what they were looking for.

So far, the potential benefits of oil pipelines like TransCanada's (NYSE: TRP) Keystone XL and others have not been enough to convince critics that it is a good idea to construct these pipelines. However, the recent slew of train derailments could be just enough of a lever to help push some of these critical infrastructure projects through. This could be huge for TransCanada, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP), and Enbridge (ENB 0.18%), which combined have $30 billion tied up in pipeline proposals that would move oil out of Canada. 

To find out how pipeline companies can use these recent train incidents as political leverage and which company listed above has the most at stake, tune into the video below. 

Fool contributors Aimee Duffy and Tyler Crowe have no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow them on Twitter @TMFDuffy and @TylerCroweFool, respectively. 

The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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