Building the Keystone Pipeline

Say you're the President of the United States, and you're given the opportunity to approve a project that will create over 42,000 jobs and reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. The State Department has completed an extensive environmental review of the project, concluding that it is the "preferred alternative" among all possible options and that there would be limited environmental impact. What would you do? I bet that, like most people you would say let's move forward with it.

This project is the Keystone XL pipeline. It would be a 36-inch pipeline running 1,600 miles from oil supply fields in Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast. And as we heard in a recent House Small Business Committee hearing, the economic benefits of the pipeline to small businesses would be numerous.

But the person in charge of making the decision, President Obama, has dodged making a call. He has repeatedly tried to appease his liberal environmentalist base by deferring an answer, saying he had concerns about the pipeline's route in Nebraska and wouldn't decide until after last year's presidential election.

Well, it's after the election, and a new plan has been submitted that thoroughly addresses the President's concerns. The governor of Nebraska has approved that plan. And yet, the President remains silent.

Congress isn't waiting for him to act. Last week, the House passed legislation to end more than four years of bureaucratic delay and indecision on the part of the White House, and allow the building of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Senate should take up this bill and pass it, for the good of the country.

# # #