Commentary

Taxpayer’s will recall how President Biden took retribution against former President Trump on his first day in office by signing an order revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.  Now, the Keystone owner, TC Energy, is seeking $15 billion in damages.

In a move typical of the Biden administration, the revocation was buried thirty paragraphs into an executive order entitled, “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.”

Under Section 6, the order refers to March 29, 2019, when the President (Trump) granted to TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. a Presidential permit to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities at the international border of the United States and Canada, subject to express conditions and potential revocation in the President’s sole discretion.  The permit is hereby revoked in accordance with Article 1 of the permit.

In its case, TC Energy will cite how it proceeded with construction under the logical expectation that it would be allowed to complete the pipeline and operate it.  After years of environmental and other reviews, that was a reasonable conclusion.

However, Biden’s order states that, “In 2015 following an exhaustive review, the Department of State (Kerry) and President (Obama) determined that approving the proposed pipeline would not serve the U.S. national interest.

That’s odd. Our climate-change-obsessed president isn’t aware that transporting oil by pipeline is not only safer, but it is more carbon-delivery efficient than using rail or tanker trucks, and in our national interest.

Now, TC Energy will be transporting its oil by rail, tanker trucks and ships, producing more greenhouse gasses than the pipeline and spills from accidents. So much for bringing in science.

Even the leftist New York Times recognized this danger in its June 6, 2014 piece, “Report Finds Higher Risk if Oil Line Is Not Built,” by Coral Davenport (sic). From the TIMES:

“If the Keystone XL pipeline is not built – and more oil from the Canadian oil sands is moved by rail – there could be hundreds more deaths and thousands more injuries than expected over the course of a decade, according to an updated State Department analysis of the contests project that was released Friday.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board, noted that Biden’s day-one revocation, was “irregular,” citing that normally a company would have a chance to make its case, and the administration would engage in review. 

What happened to Biden’s decades of foreign relations experience?  The slap against Donald Trump took priority to relations with our neighbors to the north.

Not only did Biden take vengeance on Trump by stopping Keystone, he crippled our energy independence effort.  On the same day, he opened our Southern border to thousands of illegals and drug traffic by halting construction on the border wall just because it was a project of Donald Trump.

“Like every nation, the United States has a right and a duty to secure its borders and protect its people against threats.  But building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.

“It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.

“I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border in Proclamation 9844 of February 15, 2019 (signed by President Trump), was unwarranted.  It shall be the policy of my administration that no more taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.”

Traffic of individuals and drugs now come into the U.S. by entering where the wall was left unfinished or not yet started.  Taxpayer dollars are now being gobbled up in the care and feeding of illegals, most of whom carry Covid-19, prior to providing bus and airline transport to all parts of the country.

Biden says that his administration is committed to ensuring the United States has a comprehensive and humane immigration system that operates consistently with our nation’s values.

Okay … but why wasn’t that system put in place in an orderly manner first instead of allowing the border to become a disaster area?

The same goes for the pipeline cancellation.  Why was it necessary to put thousands of Americans out of work before those other green jobs were actually available?

Obviously, both decisions were intended to take two high profile slaps at Donald Trump.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.