Biden Allies Reconsidering Keystone Executive Order

February 10, 2021

President Biden downplayed the economic consequences of limiting the fossil fuel industry throughout the 2020 campaign trail. He justified this policy plan with vague talking points about “saving the planet,” pandering to an eco-left voter demographic that he needed to win over. But, now that the real costs of this policy are being felt, even Biden’s allies are questioning his decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline project.

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes: 

On Tuesday West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin wrote Mr. Biden asking him “to reconsider” his executive order. Mr. Manchin, who introduced the first Keystone XL bill in 2012, noted that “pipelines continue to be the safest mode to transport our oil and natural gas resources and they support thousands of high-paying, American union jobs.”

Recently, Richard Trumka communicated a similar message to Biden. Trumka is president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of unions in America, which endorsed Biden during his campaign. In an interview with Axios on HBO, Trumka said Biden’s decision would cost 1,000 existing union jobs and 10,000 projected construction jobs.

The union chief was also skeptical about the “green jobs” that Mr. Biden keeps saying will replace them: “You know, when they laid off at the mines back in Pennsylvania, they told us they were going to train us to be computer programmers.” Readers may recall that John Kerry, Mr. Biden’s climate envoy, recently said workers who lose jobs in fossil fuels will be able to make solar panels. Sure, if they move to China, where most solar panels are made.

It’s clear that President Biden will not listen to Republicans’ arguments, no matter how indisputable or based in fact, to allow the Keystone XL pipeline project to proceed. Hopefully, now that Democrats are starting to see the reality of this situation, Biden will listen to his own allies.