Toe the Line: College Republicans | Keystone XL

02/17/15 10:33pm

Oil will be an integral part of the United States economy for decades to come. In 2013, U.S. oil consumption increased by 400,000 barrels per day and the trend in 2014 followed suit. Securing a reliable supply of petroleum is a vital concern for the U.S. economy and national security, both in the short and long run. What’s keeping us from approving the Keystone XL pipeline?

After six years, five favorable environmental reports and numerous shifts in the construction path, the pipeline has been repeatedly cleared for construction. Our government needs to stop stalling. While preventing building projects of private corporations is permitted if there are great environmental or security threats, no such threats exist in this case.

The pipeline causes negligible environmental damage; indeed, it is most likely safer even than importing oil from Venezuela or Nigeria on tankers. From the security perspective, the Keystone XL pipeline is solidifying a reliable source of oil from our democratic, environmentally regulated, close neighbor, Canada. Keystone XL hasn’t been delayed for environmental or security reasons — rather, the delay is the product of unproductive politicking. This issue reveals the ugly side of government, and one that we should seek to minimize.

The Keystone XL pipeline has many benefits, with the most important being energy security. Over 250 million cars and trucks run on oil every day. Thus, having a secure energy supplier is vital. Canada is currently America’s largest exporter, with 2 million barrels crossing the border each day. Over the past decade, the number of barrels coming from Canada has increased by 600,000 barrels per day, and imports have decreased by a similar amount from Mexico. The Keystone XL pipeline would allow the U.S. to import 830,000 more barrels from Canada per day. It is in our interest to receive more of our oil from such a stable, friendly country. Constructing Keystone XL would allow us to access more North American oil at the lowest cost, with the safest transport method and in an environmentally conscious way.

We already have over 2.5 million miles of oil and gas pipelines in our country. Why is this particular pipeline so controversial? The Obama administration needs to stop politicizing a bill that will be good for consumers, the economy, national security and our overall national interest. We recognize the importance of remaining environmentally conscious and internally secure, but in this case, these concerns are unfounded.

Jennifer Knesbach

C‘17 W‘17

College Republicans Representative

Toe the Line examines issues from two different sides. Click here to see the Penn Democrats stance.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.