A group of Republican state attorneys general is urging Joe Biden to reinstate the Keystone XL pipeline after the administration canceled it last year.
Led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the attorneys general sent a letter to Biden asking him to “stop federal efforts to impose excessive regulations that will increase Americans’ energy costs,” the Epoch Times reports.
Indeed, Biden canceled the $9 billion pipeline designed to bring 900,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Canada to the United States last year, citing impacts of climate change.
“We hate to say we told you so,” the letter read. “Just over a year later, new record high gas prices are seemingly set every day, economy-wide inflation—the highest in 40 years—is straining the budgets of American families, and European countries are unable to impose oil and gas sanctions on Russia without risking an economic recession.”
“Instead, European countries are spending $1 billion per day on Russian oil and gas and literally funding Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in the process,” the letter continued.
Knudsen noted that the decision to revoke the permit for the pipeline cost “thousands of jobs, millions in tax revenue, and economic opportunity for the communities along its route.”
He also said it sets a “dangerous precedent” for future permits and projects that would enhance America’s energy security and independence.
“The oil you now want to import from Canada is the same oil that would have flowed through the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have transported nearly a million barrels per day—not only from Canada but from the Bakken oilfields in Montana and North Dakota—to American refineries,” the letter continued.
“The hypocrisy would be stunning if it weren’t so insulting to American energy workers and those in rural communities who benefited from the pipeline’s many economic opportunities.”
“Stop the quiet conversations with foreign powers and oligarchs. The solutions are right here at home. On behalf of the citizens of our states, we demand you immediately take the actions outlined above to reverse the damage you have done and provide relief for struggling families and businesses. It’s never too late to admit your mistakes.”
The letter was signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
