Congressman Jeff Miller's Newsletter for January 22, 2012

Last week, President Obama took the extraordinary action of denying the application for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. In a move that would cost thousands of jobs by any measure, this Administration’s decision to block the pipeline shows they are out of touch with the message Americans have been delivering for more than a year – where are the jobs?

The Keystone XL project is a proposed 1,700 mile extension of an existing energy pipeline. It would provide a critical link from abundant petroleum supplies in Canada to U.S. refineries. When finished, Keystone is estimated to carry 1.4 million barrels of petroleum every day, significantly expanding the refining capacity of North American energy companies. 

However, Keystone XL is more than an energy issue. It is a jobs issue. The Keystone XL Pipeline project is estimated to inject $20 billion of private sector investment into our economy. It would create 20,000 direct jobs and 118,000 more jobs from increased economic activity. These are not Republican talking points – these numbers were provided by 22 members of the President’s own party in an October 19, 2011 letter to the President asking him to approve the pipeline. It is undisputed the Keystone XL Pipeline would create jobs. For a President who mentions the importance of American jobs in almost every speech he gives, I am astounded that his words are not followed by action.

The President was clear about his reasons for denying the Keystone XL permit. He tried to put the blame on Republicans for rushing his decision. However, the Keystone XL project has already undergone an extensive, three-year review led by the State Department. A multi-agency process, the review studied the pipeline’s environmental, economic, and energy impacts. More than 25 meetings were held with interested parties on both sides of the issue. The State Department’s own Environmental Impact Statement found that Keystone XL would have no significant impact on the environment. So why would the President push his decision on the pipeline until 2013 and after the November 2012 election?

The Administration should not play politics with job creation and economic recovery. So, as part of the end of the year discussion on the payroll tax holiday, House Republicans were successful in passing legislation that required the President to make a decision on Keystone XL within 60 days. Three years is too long to wait for this important project, and pushing the decision off for more than a year is unacceptable. On Wednesday, the President made his decision. Unfortunately, it was the wrong decision.

The Administration had an opportunity to create jobs – not through trillion-dollar government stimulus, but through private sector investment. They had an opportunity to increase American energy independence. They had an opportunity to show they were willing to put economic recovery above politics. But they rejected it. The Administration is no longer just failing to act on job creation, it is actively preventing it. Incredibly, the President said during debate over Keystone XL that extending unemployment benefits would create more jobs than the pipeline project. Jobless benefits creating jobs? I don’t think so.

The President would be wise to listen to the advice given by the citizens who would be affected by construction of Keystone XL, advice highlighted in Democrats’ October letter: "We need the jobs, it’s that simple."