Keystone Debate

TransCanada Corporation has been trying to set up a huge oil pipeline that runs through the heart of the United States.  This “Keystone” pipeline is becoming a huge debate in Congress and for environmentalists. But do the pros out-weigh the cons? And could this pipeline help boost America’s economy and help create jobs?

            The Keystone Pipeline has been debated and rejected several times in the last few years. It would help supply the United States with oil that has not been available to us before. This would reduce gas prices significantly and would create a ton of jobs. According to Forbes.com, just the construction of the pipeline would create 42,000 jobs alone. That would help our economy right away but there is a lot more. After the pipeline was constructed almost 140,000 jobs would be needed to look after the pipeline and also run the pipeline. That is enough jobs to fulfill the normal job growth the United States sees in one month which is an amazing statistic. It is obvious that this would help our economy just in the first six month to a year of it being constructed. Also, with more oil running through the United States, we will not have to ship oil from the Middle East or other parts of the world. It would drop gas prices and help alleviate the high prices.

            There are some cons that are associated with the creation of the Keystone Pipeline. The environment could be affected with the construction of the huge pipeline. Keystone would run almost 3,000 miles from the middle of Canada all of the way to the Gulf of Mexico. That is a lot of land to go through and it could cause some problems. This is the biggest reason why this project hasn’t been carried out in the past. President Obama had the chance to enact the project before the 2012 elections. But instead of doing what is right for the nation he believed that his image was more important to environmentalists. I am not saying that the environment is not important because it is but there can always be revisions to make sure the pipeline goes around a lake or a forest so nothing gets damaged or torn down.

            If the pipeline does not get approved soon I believe that the project may never happen. The Keystone Pipeline would not only create jobs but it would boost our economy up even more. President Obama has to swallow his pride. He does not need to impress anybody anymore now that he is in his second term. He should do what is right and that is making sure this project goes through as planned and make sure it goes smoothly.