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American support for the Keystone XL pipeline has reached a new high. Sixty-one percent (61%) support building the major oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.
The project would create more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide, and would reduce American dependency on foreign oil by hundreds of thousands of barrels.
President Obama has again delayed his decision on the project, and in doing so has denied thousands of Americans from new jobs, a stronger economy, and energy security. His Administration has wasted five years of growth, stalling in the name of the environment and state litigation.
However, Americans are not fooled by his rhetoric. Newspapers across the country have called for Obama to put politics aside and approve the Keystone XL pipeline.
“At this point, there is little doubt about the big picture… The economic rewards of extracting Canadian oil are too attractive and the options for getting it out of the country are too numerous.
The administration’s latest decision is not responsible; it is embarrassing. The United States continues to insult its Canadian allies by holding up what should have been a routine permitting decision amid a funhouse-mirror environmental debate that got way out of hand.”
-“Keystone’s XL’s Continued Delay is Absurd,” The Washington Post
“We consider the case for Keystone a no-brainer. The project will bring energy and jobs to the United States, and – per the Obama administration’s own State Department – will create no net harm to the environment. If a project like this can’t gain approval, America is essentially sending the message that it’s closed for business.”
-“A Pipeline in Purgatory,” Orange County Register
“That delay might be good for Democrats, because this is a politically fraught decision. Approval of Keystone would anger some in the environmental lobby.
But the delay is bad for Americans who would like to have a job.
This project — already five years in discussions — would link oil sands in the Canadian province of Alberta to American ports and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. It would make the North American energy industry more efficient. It would improve safety by delivering oil via pipeline rather than the current, riskier practice of shipping it by train. It would put people to work.”
-“Another Excuse to Stall the Keystone XL Decision,” Chicago Tribune
“This is embarrassing. The White House has all the information it needs to approve the pipeline yet once more has put politics ahead of policy, just as it has done on tax reform and immigration.
Keystone, under the microscope for about six years, is arguably the most studied oil pipeline project in American history. But each time a national election cycle approaches, the administration conjures a delay to avoid alienating key political allies on opposing sides of the issue. Environmentalists oppose the pipeline; Big Labor favors it. Members of his party don’t want to be pinned down with the midterm elections on the horizon.”
“Obama Again Puts Politics Ahead of Keystone XL Approval,” Dallas Morning News
Environmental concerns over the project have been dismissed, and this delay is now political.
Those losing the most as a result of the Keystone delay are the thousands of Americans this project would employ, and the millions more who depend on energy to power their homes and businesses.
In an economic recovery best regarded as fragile, the U.S. can’t afford to wait any longer for such a critical and significant project.
-“Once Again, Politics Trump Keystone Pipeline XL,” The Detroit News
Americans have spoken. House Republicans are dedicated to creating more jobs and lowering energy costs for Americans. Let’s stop the politics and put America back to work.
