NM senators wrong to block pipeline project

Pandering to their environmental activist base, 59 Senate Democrats, including Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, have again declared war on American jobs and rejected a boost to the U.S. economy and another step toward energy independence by blocking congressional approval of the $5.3 billion Keystone XL pipeline project.

The proposed nearly 1,200-mile pipeline would carry up to 850,000 barrels of tar sands crude oil, also known as bitumen, from the forests of western Canada and connect to an existing pipeline that would take the dense oil to Gulf Coast refineries. Some of the petroleum products would be for export.

Proponents say the project, which has strong support in polls of the American public, would create 42,000 “shovel ready” American jobs. The State Department estimates that building Keystone XL would pump about $3.4 billion into the U.S. economy.

While Heinrich and Udall voice environmental concerns, a State Department study concluded the pipeline would not have a significant impact on global warming.

In addition to killing much-needed American jobs and heading off a much-needed boost for the U.S. economy, this action in the Senate — with the support of the administration — is another show of disrespect to one of our strongest friends and allies, Canada.

And it is a step backward from the move to further reduce America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil suppliers for its energy needs.

TransCanada applied to the State Department for permission to build the pipeline in 2008.

But the application has languished in the approval process for political reasons, and last week a bill to push the project forward failed by one vote to reach the 60-vote Senate threshold that would send it to a floor vote.

Passage was expected, which would have sent it to the president.

It should be remembered that Udall has long pushed for Senate rules changes to place strict limits on the filibuster. This time, however, it apparently was in Democrats’ interests to use the parliamentary tactic favored the past few years by Republicans, though Democrats still hold the majority through the end of the year.

Republicans will hold majorities in both the House and Senate starting in January, and they are expected to make another run at passing Keystone legislation early next year. They should. And they would have the backing of the majority of the American public.

— Albuquerque Journal