U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) praised President Trump's orders to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines | kinzinger.house.gov
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) praised President Trump's orders to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines | kinzinger.house.gov
President Donald J. Trump last week fulfilled a campaign promise by signed executive orders to advance the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
The Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,100-mile crude oil pipeline that would connect oil production in Alberta, Canada to refiners in the United States, had long been stalled by the Obama Administration.
U.S. Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), said the pipelines "provide the opportunity to move our economy forward with job growth and lower energy costs."
"If the pipelines are built, these projects would create thousands of jobs and bring safe oil production back to North America," said Kinzinger. “I look forward to working with this Administration in promoting clean, affordable, safe energy resources and directly creating jobs for the American people.”
A member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Kinzinger is a proponent of increased domestic energy production. His Web site touts the need to "strengthen our national security through energy independence."
That goal is shared by Vets4Energy, a national organization of veterans who advocate for policies that increase U.S. energy independence.
Rear Admiral Don Loren, USN (ret.), National Liaison for Vets4Energy, joined Kinziger in praising President Trump's executive orders, saying that his organization "heartily endorses President Trump’s Executive action on the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline."
"Our national security is critically linked to our energy independence," added Loren. "By producing more of our energy here at home, we reduce the need to depend on nations that do not have America’s best interests at heart, and significantly lessen the requirement for America’s military to safeguard the transport of oil globally."
Not unexpectedly, some environmental groups criticized President Trump's order.
One of those groups is Greenpeace, whose activists were arrested last week after they climbed a crane near the White House and unfurled a larger banner that said, "RESIST."
"We will resist this with all of our power and we will continue to build the future the world wants to see," said Greenpeace in a statement about the president's executive orders advancing the pipelines.
Brian P. McGuire, president and CEO of Associated Equipment Distributors, which is headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, said the president's order on the Keystone XL Pipeline represents a "commonsense energy policy" by the Trump Administration.
“The Keystone XL pipeline is critical to jobs, economic growth, and national security, and is indisputably in our national interest and that of Canada, our closest trading partner," said McGuire. "The construction equipment industry is ready to assist in this project and other energy infrastructure efforts across the country. Any way you look at – from an economic, environmental, national security or foreign policy standpoint – approving the Keystone XL pipeline is the right decision.”