Keystone Pipeline Still Dead

Obama has been doing a lot of campaigning over the last 1-2 years, visiting key election battleground states repeatedly while touting his job-creation agenda to the unemployment-ridden masses (as an aside, keep in mind that the taxpayers cover all the costs associated with the President's jet-setting around the nation on the campaign trail).  But when presented with an obvious job creation project like the Keystone Pipeline, the President's job-creation agenda seems to fade away, and his big-government, anti-free market, socialist-leaning tendencies storm to the forefront.

Projected Path of the Keystone Pipeline

Aside from potentially improving our energy security, the construction and maintenance of the pipeline, which would run from Canada to America's Gulf Coast, would create thousands of jobs here in the U.S.  It's a very simple, straightforward, and obvious example of something that creates jobs.  One can argue that various tax policies, health care reforms, etc., create jobs, but those are usually complex initiatives not given to clear, concise job-creation analysis.  Not so with the Keystone Pipeline - it's a project that, without question, would create jobs.

In addition, it would provide the U.S. with a great supply of oil from our neighbor to the north, decreasing our reliance on oil from the middle east, a region which is constantly rife with unpredictability, instability, and antagonism towards America.   There are too many uncertainties in the middle east for us to rely solely on that region for our oil needs.

So why does President Obama continue to shut the Keystone Pipeline project down?  No one knows for sure what's in his head, but I suspect he's willing to sacrifice all those jobs because of his green energy agenda.  In fact, the President makes takes a lot of stances that are not in the best interests of American citizens when it comes to his green energy agenda.  He recently stated that he hopes gas prices would rise to the level they are in Europe, which would mean $7-$8 per gallon gas here in the U.S. (Obama's appointed Energy Secretary, Stephen Chu, also stated recently that he hopes for higher gas prices - days later, he now says his position has changed and he hopes for lower prices to ease the pressure on American's wallets)   When questioned about it, the President backtracked a little, implying that a sitting president wouldn't hope for higher gas prices in an election year.  While I don't believe him, even that answer is telling - his view on gas prices is dictated by what's good for his re-election campaign, not by what's good for the American people.  I believe the President wants higher gas prices so that alternative energy becomes a more attractive option in the marketplace - he's willing to sacrifice the well-being of Americans if it furthers his green energy agenda.

The bottom line is that the Keystone Pipeline will create thousands of jobs for Americans, and it will have at least some positive effect on our energy security.  But it's not in line with the goal of widespread green energy now, so Obama is willing to act to the detriment of America's citizens and refuse to allow the pipeline to be built.

Look, I'm all for green energy and alternative fuel sources, but they won't predominate in the marketplace until they can be produced and marketed on a cost basis that is competitive with fossil fuels.  We simply aren't there yet.  We'll get there, but in the meantime, we need jobs and gas price relief now, and the Keystone Pipeline is one item that will surely help.  And I've yet to hear anyone articulate a downside to the Keystone Pipeline.

There are many Americans out there right now who don't have a job, and if our President would act in our best interests, some of those Americans would soon be going to work building the Keystone Pipeline.  For their sake and all of ours, I just hope we won't have to wait another 4 years to see projects like this get the green light (pun intended).