Billy Long: It's time to build the Keystone Pipeline

In his latest newsletter, Seventh District Congressman Billy Long urges approval of the Keystone Pipeline.

I am for an “all of the above” energy policy which would use our own resources and technology.

The Obama administration is still delaying a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, a project developed by TransCanada to connect Canadian oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.  It’s been more than four years since the pipeline permit was submitted. That’s over 1,600 days.  To put that in perspective, it took less time for the U.S. to fight and win World War II.  As the administration continues to stall, let’s look at some of the facts on the Keystone XL pipeline:

• Building the pipeline would create at least 20,000 new jobs;
• Up to 830,000 barrels of oil would reach U.S. markets every day through the pipeline- almost half of what we import from Persian Gulf countries;
• The pipeline has passed multiple environmental reviews conducted by the State Department;
• TransCanada has agreed to an additional 57 special safety conditions to build and maintain the pipeline, making its design one of the safest ways to bring oil into the U.S.

With gas prices jumping recently and the economy struggling to add jobs, the president is running out of reasons to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. 

I support the pipeline because we should increase our oil supply from reliable, stable sources such as Canada, and decrease our reliance on oil from hostile regimes in the Middle East. The Keystone pipeline presents an opportunity to do just that. It is also a step in the right direction towards America’s energy security and ultimate energy independence. Furthermore, during a time of economic instability, the Keystone pipeline provides an opportunity for work for thousands of Americans.  It’s time to move forward and build the Keystone XL pipeline. 

The bottom line is our nation has opportunities right here in North America to meet our current and future energy needs. Americans are tired of rising gas prices and being at the mercy of adversarial foreign governments.  The president talks a good game when it comes to energy but he has failed to walk the walk. While he continues to create obstacles, I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that we take every opportunity to use the resources we have to secure our economic future.

It is important for us as a nation to be good stewards of the environment.  However, we must take care to ensure that we do so in a responsible way.  Protecting the environment should never be an excuse to impose new regulations or other handicaps on the American economy, nor should we be hesitant to use the cheap and abundant fossil fuels that our economy relies on.  As these issues come before Congress I will take steps to protect the environment and our economy. 

By putting our country’s abundant natural resources to use, we can lower prices at the pump, break free from our dependence on unstable sources of foreign oil, and put hard working Americans back to work.