Despite his public support for an ‘all of the above’ energy policy, we learned this week that President Obama has been personally lobbying against it.  As POLITICO reported:

“President Barack Obama is intervening in a Senate fight over the Keystone XL oil pipeline and personally lobbying Democrats to reject an amendment calling for its construction, according to several sources familiar with the talks.”

This lobbying effort – which included calls from the President to Senate Democrats – contradicts his public support for the ‘all of the above’ energy policy he called for in his State of the Union address and his pledge this week that his Administration would “do whatever [it] can do to speed up construction of the pipeline.”

This revelation comes as gas prices continue to rise and remain at their highest levels ever for this time of year.  The national average is currently $3.76 per gallon – more than double the cost when the President took office.

As we head into summer and uncertainty mounts in the Middle East, the price is bound to go up.  Gas is already topping $4 a gallon in some states and could rise to as much as $4.25 across the country by late April according to one forecast.

This rise in gas prices could undo the feeble signs of economic growth we have seen in the past few months, further deteriorating our economy and putting more Americans out of work.

Ignoring this fact and his own public statements otherwise, the President and his advisors continue stonewalling the pipeline and the huge economic benefit it would bring.

At full capacity, the pipeline would deliver 700,000 barrels of oil per day to the United States from Canada.  These new imports would offset those from more hostile and less stable countries in the Middle East.  The Department of Energy also found the pipeline would do more to enhance the value of domestically-produced oil than oil produced in Canada.

The project enjoys broad, bipartisan and has been approved by every state on the route with the exception of Nebraska which is in the process of rerouting the pipeline’s path through its territory.  Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has endorsed expediting federal approval of the project.

The overwhelming support is not just because of the energy it would provide.  It’s also safe: more than 10,000 pages of environmental analysis have concluded the pipeline would not adversely impact the environment.

Moreover, it represents a $7 billion private investment in American infrastructure.  It is estimated that the project would directly support 20,000 American jobs and as many as 100,000 additional jobs without a dime of new government spending.

Further delaying the project could lead Canada to pursue alternatives.  Just this week, Alberta Premier Alison Redford indicated that the province “plans to pursue exports to Asia rather than rely on uncertainty in the U.S. market.”  That means China could be getting and enjoying the benefits of safe, affordable and abundant resources once destined for the United States.

It is time to put aside election year politics and approve the Keystone Pipeline.  It will literally help drive our economic recovery.

Sincerely,

Jack Kingston, U.S. Congressman