by J.D. Davidson
One of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders drew concerns from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who said it will cost jobs and hurt the economy.
On Wednesday, Biden signed an order rescinding the presidential permit that allowed for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Before the order, Canadian company TC Energy Corp. announced it had suspended work on the 1,700-mile pipeline.
Portman, an Ohio Republican, said he wants to work with the new administration and called the order unfortunate.
“As I’ve said previously, I want to work with the Biden administration to address the most pressing challenges facing our country. As the U.S. continues to struggle amid the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unfortunate that one of the Biden administration’s first actions will cost American jobs and hurt our economy,” Portman said. “The pipeline is creating thousands of good-paying union jobs, boosting our manufacturing sector and strengthening our energy security in cooperation with Canada, one of our closest allies.”
The pipeline, if finished, would carry approximately 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to the Texas Gulf Coast. Passing through six U.S. states, the project has faced multiple legal challenges.
It was originally blocked by President Barack Obama for environmental concerns but came back to life under the Trump administration.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called Biden’s decision politically motivated and said it will hurt American consumers.
“The pipeline – the most studied infrastructure project in American history – is already under construction and has cleared countless legal and environmental hurdles. This is a politically motivated decision that is not grounded in science,” Marty Durbin, president of the chamber’s Global Energy Institute, said. “It will harm consumers and put thousands of Americans in the building trades out of work.”
Portman said the project plays a key role in the country’s diversified energy program and helps to lower energy costs for consumers.
“I have long said that the Keystone XL Pipeline is an essential component of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy policy that uses all sources of American energy – from nuclear to fossil to renewables to energy efficiency measurers – that will enhance U.S. energy security needed to compete and succeed in the decades ahead,” Portman said. “I urge the Biden administration to re-examine its decision so that the Keystone XL Pipeline can create jobs, lower energy prices and help grow our economy.”
– – –
An Ohio native, J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
Background Photo “Keystone Pipeline” by shannonpatrick17. CC BY 2.0.
Rob Portman is a conservative Republican. That doesn’t mean he is a RINO. He has been a Republican Senator in an era of extreme turmoil between the parties. He has repeatedly represented Ohio, and our country with a sense of dignity and integrity. He has been at the forefront of the political theater as both an insider of the Bush administration, while he was a respected point of contact by the Obama administration when many other Republicans were not capable. His political career successfully spans 30 years.
His abilities to help prepare various Candidates for debates, his actions towards lifestyle, foreign policy, foreign trade, and his strong legal background have proven to be respected by both Domestic and Foreign policy makers.
The recent years have challenged his political leadership and his personal integrity. He has walked a tight rope over treacherous terrain in respect to the Democratic Circus surrounding President Trump. Senator Portman’s responses to the impeachment proceedings and election issues have provoked both sides of the political spectrum to question his stance. Without a doubt Senator Portman is a great American. He has been considered a VP running mate in the past, and maybe his choice not to seek another term in the Senate is motivated by a strategy to prepare for his own run at the White House?
He definitely has the right stuff. Good luck to you whatever your future plans hold.
The oil is going to flow from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The question is whether it is going to flow through a carefully erected pipeline, or in trucks and railroad cars, with the chance of accidents that could cause huge spillage problems, that are both unpredictable and unavoidable.
The messenger matters not when the message is simply the truth.
I don’t care if Portman is Satan, what he said was true. If given the chance I may not vote for him, but I agree whit his statements if that is what he said.
Portman is a RINO! Ohio please primary this never Trumper, Never America First agenda senator…..
Maybe Portman is a RINO, maybe not, but he’s nowhere near as bad as Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, and Lisa Murkowski. If you look up RINO, you’ll find a picture of this trio. Be careful what you wish for…you could end up with someone much worse.