( CNN ) -- I own a property in Fort Pierre , South Dakota , called the Bad River Ranch . It is a beautiful place , where we have worked very hard to restore the landscape , reintroduce native wildlife species and raise bison sustainably . But it sits about 15 miles downstream of the point where TransCanada 's proposed Keystone XL pipeline would cross the Bad River , and being that close has led me to examine more closely the potential risks and benefits of a project about which I have been highly skeptical from the beginning . After careful scrutiny , I believe it is not in our national interest to pursue it . The purpose of Keystone XL is to bring tar sands crude oil through the United States to Gulf Coast refineries . The route through the United States is actually the oil industry 's second choice : Transporting the oil west from Alberta to the Pacific Coast would be shorter and much cheaper , but Canadians concerned about environmental impacts and threats to native people 's lands are challenging that route , and with good reason . The existing and potential environmental impacts along the 2,000-mile pipeline route are profound . In Canada , extraction of tar sands crude requires clear-cutting thousands of acres of boreal forests , diverting rivers , strip-mining , and destroying critical habitat for some of the largest populations of woodland caribou left in the world . Thirty percent of North America 's songbirds and 40 % of its waterfowl rely on the wetlands and waterways of the boreal forest . Tar sands oil production has already created more than 50 square miles of toxic waste ponds so massive they are visible from space . Even more important , tar sands oil extraction produces three times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil and gas , putting even greater strain on our atmosphere and oceans , which have little absorptive capacity left . Closer to home , the pipeline presents an immediate threat to drinking water for millions and to the livelihood of farmers and ranchers . To transport via pipeline , the thick tar sands crude must be mixed with toxic chemicals and then pumped at extreme temperature and pressure . This sets the stage for more pipeline failures and spills that create a highly toxic mess . The existing Keystone 1 tar sands pipeline has spilled more than 12 times in its first 12 months of operation . In July 2010 , a spill of more than 800,000 gallons of toxic tar sands crude from the Enbridge pipeline contaminated more than 30 miles of water and shoreline along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan . This created public health problems , threats to groundwater , widespread fish kills , and destruction of wildlife habitat , contamination that is still being cleaned up at a cost exceeding $ 700 million . Downstream landowners like me are thinking this is a preview of coming attractions if Keystone XL is built . The potential for pollution of vital groundwater from the Keystone XL pipeline is even more frightening . Depending on the final route of the pipeline , spills would threaten the Ogallala Aquifer , the largest aquifer in the western North American region , upon which millions of people and agricultural businesses depend for drinking water , irrigation and livestock watering . But spills anywhere along the route would threaten crucial drinking water supplies , from local and municipal drinking water wells to the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Texas , a critical water supply for drought-stricken East Texas and Houston . Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the water scarcity problems in that region should understand how a sizable pipeline failure could have catastrophic consequences . Meanwhile , the pro-pipeline lobby is pushing the public to accept Keystone XL with fuzzy promises about jobs and security . But TransCanada 's jobs claims have been widely discredited , and there is no guarantee the oil transported by the pipeline would remain in the United States for sale . An attempt in Congress to require the oil to be consumed in the United States was rejected just last week , and it has been widely detailed that Gulf Coast refineries plan to export the finished product to Europe and Latin America . How do we become more energy secure under that scenario ? Now Congress , by means of an amendment to the highway bill , is pushing to wrest decision-making control over the project from the administration , bypass final environmental review , and force approval of the pipeline before the final route has even been determined . Congress should not be in the business of skirting the rules and ramming through a polluting project like the Keystone XL pipeline . Instead of supporting the transport of dirty tar sands oil , its focus should be on harnessing truly clean , renewable energy sources like solar , wind and biofuels , which will create thousands of long-lasting jobs in the United States , protect our natural resources and provide true energy and water security today and for many years to come . Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ted Turner .
Keystone XL pipeline would bring tar sands crude oil across Michigan to the Kalamazoo River refineries . Turner : Tar sands oil means clear-cutting about 15 miles , diverting rivers , strip-mining . Pipeline puts drinking water at risk , poses profound danger of toxic spills and more , he says . Turner : Congress trying to skirt rules and force approval of polluting Keystone XL project .