Biden’s Keystone XL Pipeline cancellation destroyed 11,000 American jobs with a stroke of a pen, all to appease radical climate activists.
The Keystone XL Pipeline saga represents one of the most blatant examples of political whiplash in American energy policy. Designed to transport 850,000 barrels of crude oil daily from Canada to the Gulf Coast, this critical infrastructure project became a political football kicked between three administrations. Obama initially approved it before caving to environmental pressure, Trump revived it supporting American energy independence, and Biden killed it on day one of his presidency. The cancellation not only terminated thousands of good-paying jobs but established a dangerous precedent where government can arbitrarily revoke permits, creating uncertainty for future infrastructure investments.
The Political Ping-Pong of American Energy
Remember when America actually cared about energy independence? Those were the days. The Keystone XL Pipeline project was set to be a crown jewel of North American energy cooperation, designed to transport 850,000 barrels of crude oil daily from the oil sands of Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. This wasn’t just a pipe dream – it was solid infrastructure that would have strengthened our energy security while creating thousands of good American jobs. But apparently, that’s too much to ask for in today’s America, where virtue signaling takes precedence over common sense.
The Obama administration initially saw the light, with their own State Department giving the project the green light in 2015. But faster than you can say “environmental lobby,” Obama flipped like a pancake and denied the project, citing climate change concerns. Because apparently, the oil just magically disappears if we don’t build the pipeline – it certainly couldn’t be transported by less efficient, more dangerous methods like rail or truck. That would be logical thinking, and we can’t have that!
Trump’s Revival and Biden’s Day One Destruction
When President Trump came into office, he did what any sensible leader would do – he revived the Keystone XL project. He recognized that energy security is national security, and that pipelines are the safest, most efficient way to transport oil. Workers rejoiced, communities planned for economic booms, and America was on track to strengthen its energy independence. But the celebration was short-lived, thanks to the incoming Biden administration, which had different priorities – namely, appeasing the radical climate lobby regardless of the consequences for working Americans.
On his very first day in office – before he’d even had time to locate all the White House bathrooms – President Biden revoked the permits for Keystone XL. With one signature, he eliminated approximately 11,000 American jobs. Let that sink in: 11,000 families had their livelihoods destroyed because Biden needed to show his green credentials to the coastal elites who’ve never set foot in the communities that would have benefited from this project. This wasn’t governance; it was theatrics at the expense of American workers.
The Devastating Consequences Beyond Job Loss
The ramifications of Biden’s rash decision extend far beyond the immediate job losses, catastrophic as those were. By arbitrarily canceling a project that had received all necessary approvals and in which billions had already been invested, the administration sent a chilling message to every company considering major infrastructure investments in America: your project can be killed on a political whim, regardless of how many hoops you’ve jumped through to get approval. It’s like telling businesses, “Hey, feel free to invest billions, but we might just pull the rug out from under you if the political winds shift.”
This kind of uncertainty is poison for long-term infrastructure development. What company in their right mind would risk billions on projects that could be canceled after the next election? The energy sector requires stability and predictability to function properly – two things that seem increasingly rare in our hyper-politicized governance. The Keystone cancellation didn’t just cost us 11,000 jobs today; it potentially cost us countless future jobs as companies think twice before committing to American projects.
America’s Tarnished Reliability as a Business Partner
Perhaps most damaging in the long run is how Biden’s decision impacts America’s reputation as a reliable international partner. The Keystone XL project wasn’t just an American venture – it represented a significant collaboration with our Canadian neighbors. TC Energy, the Canadian company behind the pipeline, had invested billions based on the understanding that America honors its commitments. Instead, they learned that U.S. permits aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on once a new administration takes over.
This betrayal of trust makes every international business think twice before entering into long-term agreements with the United States. Why partner with America if your multi-billion dollar investment can be wiped out by executive order? Biden didn’t just cancel a pipeline; he damaged America’s reputation as a stable, predictable place to do business. And for what? To please climate activists who will never be satisfied until every oil and gas job in America is eliminated, regardless of the human cost.
The Path Forward: Restoring Sanity to Energy Policy
If there’s any silver lining to this debacle, it’s that it exposes the need for legislative reforms to prevent such politically motivated cancellations in the future. Major infrastructure projects shouldn’t be subject to the whims of whoever occupies the White House. Once permits are granted and investments made, there should be legal protections against arbitrary revocation. Our energy policy needs to be guided by reality – not ideology – and the reality is that America needs a diverse energy portfolio that includes both traditional and renewable sources.
The workers whose livelihoods were destroyed by Biden’s pen deserve better from their government. These aren’t just statistics – they’re real Americans who work in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable to keep our country running. They deserve an energy policy that values their contributions and recognizes that American energy independence is worth fighting for. Until we get serious about protecting our energy sector from political games, we’ll continue to see valuable projects killed and American workers sacrificed on the altar of climate politics.
