Disclaimer: This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.
In an effort to appease his climate-change-rabid base, Joe Biden canceled the construction of a pipeline that would have furthered America’s energy independence.
It was one of many executive orders he signed on his first day in office. The order was to cancel the pipeline’s permits effectively shutting down the project.
Biden noted that “its construction and operation would not be consistent with U.S. climate goals and it would undermine the global energy and climate leadership role of the United States.”
Fast forward two years…now we’re seeing the results of that cancellation.
According to a congressionally-mandated report published by the Biden administration, the country would have enjoyed many economic benefits from the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline had the permits not been revoked.
In a report completed in December by the Department of Energy (DOE), “The Keystone XL project would have created between 16,149 and 59,000 jobs and would have had a positive economic impact of between $3.4-9.6 billion, citing various studies. A previous report from the federal government published in 2014 determined 3,900 direct jobs and 21,050 total jobs would be created during construction which was expected to take two years.”
Taking something from each report, it was not a smart move on the part of the Biden administration to cancel the construction of the pipeline.
Pretending that getting oil from other countries is better for the environment is a typical liberal fantasy.
Senator Steve Daines of Montana voiced his opinion on the matter after seeing the DOE report.
He said in a statement on Thursday, “The Biden administration finally owned up to what we have known all along — killing the Keystone XL Pipeline cost good-paying jobs, hurt Montana’s economy and was the first step in the Biden administration’s war on oil and gas production in the United States.
He added, “Unfortunately, the administration continues to pursue energy production anywhere but the United States.”
The American people can bet that this report from the DOE would not have seen the light of day if it weren’t for the bill mandating it.
Two Republican senators, Senator Daines from Montana and Senator Jim Risch from Idaho inserted a bill mandating the report into the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Biden signed into law in November 2021.
The requirement was for the DOE to publish it within 90 days of the passage of the bill but they waited more than a year. Could that have had anything to do with the midterm elections?
“The Department of Energy finally admitted to the worst-kept secret about the Keystone Pipeline: President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline sacrificed thousands of American jobs,” Risch said Thursday.
“To make matters worse, his decision moved the U.S. further away from energy independence and lower gas prices at a time when inflation and gas prices are drastically impacting Americans’ pocketbooks,” he added.
“The president must turn to American-made energy and jobs rather than dictators and despots to fix the energy crisis he created on his first day in office.”
Will the president take Risch’s advice? We can only wish.
