Republicans mourn cancellation of potentially disastrous oil pipeline project

Congressional Republicans are outraged that a planned tar sands oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico has been officially canceled. And they are once again misleading the public about what the project would have done.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was furious about the news. “After facing insurmountable opposition, the company behind the Keystone Pipeline abandoned the project today,” he wrote on Wednesday. “Thousands of jobs destroyed and our energy independence jeopardized.”

“The Keystone XL pipeline would have strengthened U.S. energy independence & supported thousands of high-paying jobs,” complained Idaho Sen. Jim Risch.

“Canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline has cost our country thousands of good-paying jobs & made us more dependent on foreign countries to supply our domestic energy needs,” agreed Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran.

“The Keystone XL pipeline would have created thousands of well-paying jobs, supported our manufacturing sector & energy security & strengthened our relationship w Canada,” tweeted Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. “But unfortunately, Pres. Biden cancelled the pipeline on his 1st day in office.”

“The Keystone XL pipeline would’ve strengthened U.S. energy independence and created 11,000 good-paying American jobs,” wrote Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana.

The Canadian company sponsoring the proposed Keystone XL project announced Wednesday that it was abandoning the proposed 1,200 mile pipeline, and would instead focus on meeting “evolving energy demands.”

The decision came months after President Joe Biden kept a campaign promise and revoked a permit allowing the Keystone XL’s completion. Citing the greenhouse gases emitted by tar sands oil, he noted in his Jan. 20 order that the project “would not be consistent with my administration’s economic and climate imperatives.”

Environmental advocates strongly opposed the project, warning that it would devastate the climate and that tar sands pipelines are highly susceptible to dangerous leaks.

“This isn’t your grandfather’s typical oil,” Anthony Swift, director of NRDC’s Canada project said in January. “It’s nasty stuff.”

Contrary to the claims made by congressional Republicans, the pipeline was not expected to be a great source for jobs, nor a step toward U.S. energy independence.

While its construction would have required many temporary employees, the State Department estimated that Keystone XL would create just 35 permanent jobs.

Experts said it would do little for American energy independence, especially as the world moves away from fossil fuel reliance. The pipeline would have moved Canadian oil and much of that would have been exported out of the United States after it was refined.

A January Morning Consult/Politico poll suggests the GOP’s false claims about the project have not convinced the public. It found that a 42% plurality support Biden’s decision to cancel the permit, with 38% opposed to it.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.