by Senator Wayne Wallingford, representing the 27th Senate District, including Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott, and Wayne Counties
“So let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.”
That was President Obama’s first-ever reference to the Keystone XL Pipeline in a State of the Union address.
He’s delivered six such addresses in the time he’s been office, during which time he has persistently refused to grant approval for construction of the pipeline. I’m disappointed his first and only reference to this long-delayed, job- and revenue-generating, energy and national security-enhancing project is a single, dismissive and misleading sentence.
No proponent of the Keystone XL Pipeline, in Congress or elsewhere, has ever suggested that this one construction project is the sole solution to our economic, energy, and national security needs. In fact, the pipeline enjoys bipartisan support among legislators who recognize it as merely one element of an all-of-the-above strategy of energy development: something to be added to a “basket” that includes domestic development of fossil fuels onshore and off, nuclear, wind and solar, biofuels, etc.
Imagine what a President who really cared about our country and our people would say and do. With his words and actions, he would lead us all on the path to energy independence and national security, instead of throwing up obstacles along the way and continually trying to steer us in wrong directions. He would champion a privately-funded project like Keystone, and use his powers of persuasion and the privileges of his office to encourage others. Not by picking favorites but by fostering competition.
He would recognize that energy independence means keeping our service members out of harm’s way, freeing them from the burden of trying to maintain access to the energy resources of unfriendly and unstable foreign governments. He would honor the oath he took before entering office, as we veterans honor ours, and do everything in his power to make this country stronger and more secure.
We the American people and our representatives in Congress already have our sights set higher than a single pipeline, but that single pipeline is part of an overall vision to make America safer and less dependent on foreign oil. Approving this project is, very simply, the right thing to do.
