Amid the controversy engulfing TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which this week suffered another potential setback at the hands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an uncomfortable prospect is arising for Canada’s oil patch.

If the $7-billion (U.S.) project is not built, the energy sector faces the prospect of being “landlocked in bitumen,” with no way to get mounting crude production to market.

Without the massive new line, whose environmental impact has become the subject of heated debate in the U.S., existing pipelines could be constrained in as little as four years.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/without-keystone-xl-oil-sands-face-choke-point/article2052562/