The Senate will vote soon on what the GOP has made their top legislative priority: expedited approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Given the realities of today’s crude oil market, the political wrangling over Keystone has a decidedly retro feel.
The United States has experienced an energy revolution since the Keystone XL pipeline was first proposed seven years ago. Most important is America’s shale oil and gas boom, which has contributed to a sharp drop in global oil prices. With U.S. oil production in particular surging, why do Republicans persist in claiming that Keystone is a matter of such urgent national interest?
The answer clearly has more to do with politics than with the new realities of U.S. energy abundance.
The energy sector has become an important driver of U.S. investment during our painfully slow economic recovery. Investment is projected to total $890 billion over the next two decades. And all this investment is spawning good, middle-class jobs for Americans. Unfortunately, inadequate infrastructure constrains our ability to take full advantage of such investment and job growth.
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