Communities along the path of TransCanada’s Gulf Coast Pipeline Project have experienced many benefits, direct and indirect.
One of the hundreds to benefit is the town of Prague, Okla. Population: 2,000.
Cliff Bryant, has seen the benefits as both a member of the Prague, City Council, and as a real estate developer and entrepreneur.
Cliff explains that his RV Park has experienced an increase in business and as a Council member he also sees the benefits of the Gulf Coast Pipeline in the form of increased sales taxes from money being spent in the community. “Our average monthly sales tax in Prague is four percent, it’s usually about $80,000 per month. The last three months, we’ve hit between $150,000 and $160,000 per month. We can safely say that it (Gulf Coast Pipeline Project) has doubled our sales tax,” says Cliff.
Chadd Bryant, owner/manager of Chaddar’s Restaurant, has seen a definite increase in customers in his local business as a result of construction of the Gulf Coast Pipeline, which is under construction through Texas and Oklahoma. “Volume has increased over the last four to five months,” explains Chadd.
You can also learn more by checking out our post on the TransCanada Blog: Opportunities knock in Prague, Okla.
The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project provides significant benefits to the United States economy. With U.S. crude oil production growing significantly in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota and Montana, producers do not have access to enough pipeline capacity to move this production to the large refining market along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project will address this constraint, while resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs.
The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project has created opportunities for many in Oklahoma and Texas including:
Not only are TransCanada and our contractors spending money with various rental/service businesses, but the presence of the pipeline construction workers in these communities also stimulates local small businesses, such as grocers, restaurants, hotels, trailer parks, convenience stores, banks and many more. The jobs created by the operation of this pipeline aid in the future successes of our economy and the country.
In addition to the thousands of new construction jobs, the project requires material that is being sourced directly here in the United States.
As jobs are being created, and as construction continues, were looking forward to the completion of the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project. This pipeline will transport growing supplies of U.S. crude oil to meet refinery demands in Texas. Gulf Coast refineries will be able to access lower-cost domestic production and avoid paying a premium to foreign oil producers, reducing cost and the United States’ dependence on foreign crude oil.
The Gulf Coast Pipeline Project is an approximate 485-mile (780-kilometre), 36-inch crude oil pipeline beginning in Cushing, Okla., and extending south to Nederland, Texas, to serve the Gulf Coast marketplace. The 48-mile (77-kilometre) Houston Lateral Project is an additional project under development to transport oil to refineries in the Houston area.
Construction on the Gulf Coast Pipeline commenced August, 2012, with an anticipated in-service date of late 2013. The Gulf Coast Project will have the initial capacity to transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day and can be expanded to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast refineries.
Shipper Application and Accounting
Visit the Keystone Shipper Information page on TransCanada.com