Got Keystone?

I remember an abundance of it from my college days, but now I can't find any except in the headlines. There seems to be some debate going on about whether or not it is a good idea to build a pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. I've read quite a bit about this, but I can't seem to find the point of contention. Of course it is a good idea to build a pipeline through which Canadian oil can reach American refineries!

I'm receptive to the criticisms - America should be trying to wean itself off of dirty fossil fuels, and putting an oil pipeline under an aquifer - as initially proposed - doesn't seem like the best idea. If the Keystone Pipeline is going to be built - and it should be - there need to be serious regulations in place. But much like fracking, another contentious environmental/energy-related process, the pros of the Keystone Pipeline outweigh the cons.

For starters, while America does need to be investing in renewable energy sources, our need for oil isn't going to disappear in the foreseeable future. Canada has an abundance of oil reserves; according to the Energy Information Administration, Canada has the world's third largest oil reserves behind only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Who would you rather give your money to: a Wahabi King; a South American dictator; or the friendly guys up north making French Fries smothered in gravy and cheese? Canada gets my vote.

The Canadian-American partnership, already strong, would only grow strong as a result of the mutually beneficial project that would be the Keystone Pipeline. Canada wants to sell us their oil! We want the oil! Let's find a way to get it from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. The Keystone Pipeline will make America's energy future far more secure, and will even help us become more energy independent. Again, would we rather be sending billions to Saudi princes or to Canada? This is a no-brainer.

If the desire to receive affordable oil from a friendly neighbor isn't quite enough to convince you that the pipeline should be built then perhaps you will be swayed by the jobs argument. America should be building because labor is cheap. This is a chance to undertake a substantial building project that would put some American laborers back to work. While I'm skeptical of the astronomical Republican claims about how many construction jobs would be created by building the pipeline, there is no denying that construction requires labor and this would be quite a large project.

Energy independence through alternative and renewable sources should be the goal of any government energy plan. But change is incremental, and in working towards that goal we would be wise to take advantage of the natural resources at our disposal such as natural gas, and friends who want to share their natural resources with us, like Canada. Environmental concerns must be addressed, but if there is an environmentally-safe way to build the Keystone Pipeline - and I believe there is - then America should press forward with a project that will create jobs and help us secure our energy future.