It seems like a no-brainer, even for elected officials in Washington: create thousands of jobs and put struggling Americans back to work without costing those same folks a dime in new taxes.  However, this very proposition, in the form of the Keystone XL project, has been delayed for three years by heavy-handed EPA regulations and political stalling by the administration.  

First, let me explain what the Keystone XL project is.  Keystone XL is an energy pipeline that would deliver crude oil from the oil sands of western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The fact that this represents a chance for us to get some oil from a friendly source close to home, instead of the Middle East, should be reason enough for the administration to act quickly on approving this project. Making it an even better idea is that construction of the pipeline is estimated to directly create more than 20,000 American jobs, in addition to thousands of more indirect jobs.  On top of that, it could provide a boost to the economy as a whole if the new source of oil coming into the U.S. drives down the price of fuel, and it is estimated that it will generate more than $42 billion in new revenue – that we won’t have to borrow – over ten years. All kinds of organizations, from manufacturers to construction unions to veterans groups, support building this pipeline.

In 2008, Canadian pipeline company TransCanada filed an application with the U.S. Department of State to build this common sense project. Because the administration has stalled it, the House of Representatives decided to take action. Last July, we passed legislation that would require the administration to approve the project in 30 days.  While this bill was not taken up by the Senate, a long-running source of frustration for many of us in the House, we were able to put a provision in the final 2012 payroll tax cut bill to require the president to make a decision on the pipeline within 60 days.  That legislation was signed into law on December 23, and the clock is now ticking. 

Sixty days is plenty of time to make a decision on this, since it is not exactly a new issue. Due to the Environmental Protection Agency’s overly burdensome regulations, the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline has been blocked for nearly three years even though the State Department has already spent substantial time and cooperated with numerous relevant agencies to ensure the pipeline’s safety and cleanliness.  Additionally, this past November, the administration announced that it would punt its decision on the pipeline until 2013, well after the 2012 election, which once again presents an unnecessary delay in job creation and energy production.  Waiting until after the 2012 election is obviously a political ploy; the president doesn’t want to anger the environmental groups that oppose the pipeline and do not care about creating jobs or lowering gas prices. However, for the good of the country, the president should put politics aside and approve the project.

While this project has stalled, ever-increasing energy costs are making it more difficult for your families to make ends meet, for our businesses to stay competitive and for you to purchase affordable goods.  It has been my belief that we must develop and enact a comprehensive energy plan that involves tapping into our domestic energy reserves, encouraging refinery construction, researching and developing new energy sources and using more renewable fuels.  Not only will exploration of more energy sources drive down prices, but it will also create jobs, grow our economy and reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.  While we cannot develop and enact a comprehensive plan overnight, Congress must continue to develop a strategy that includes projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.