Twenty-two Republican lieutenant governors signed a letter to President Barack Obama urging the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder joined the ranks Monday, adding his name to the list.
TransCanada, a Canadian energy infrastructure company, proposed the Keystone XL Pipeline in 2012. The project was designed to transport petroleum from Canada through the United States to refineries in Texas near the Gulf Coast.
Two phases of the Keystone Project are already in operation. The pipeline runs from Alberta through North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. The second phase of the pipeline runs from Nebraska to Oklahoma. The third phase will run from Oklahoma into Texas.
The proposed Keystone XL pipeline is the fourth leg of the project, which would run from Canada through Montana and South Dakota into Nebraska where it would connect with the other project phases that are under construction. This final measure still awaits approval of the Presidential Permit application.
In a news release, Lt. Gov. Kinder said he approves of the pipeline’s ability to provide jobs.
“We urge the president to stop standing in the way of good-paying jobs for hard-working Americans,” Kinder said. “It’s time to build this pipeline.”
Kinder said he advocates for the Keystone XL Pipeline because of the economic boost it would provide the U.S.
According to the news release, the U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum and accounts for 20 percent of the world’s energy consumption.
Jay Eastlick, the spokesman for Lt. Gov. Kinder, said part of the reason the final phase of the pipeline is important to Missouri and other states is because of energy independence.
“The main thing, aside from specific jobs, is there is a real interest in the whole idea of energy independence,” Eastlick said. “This pipeline project could replace all the oil the U.S. imports from Venezuela. The whole idea that we don’t have to buy oil from countries who do not want to sell or countries with political conflict that drives up the price could really help.”
Eastlick said if the final phase of the pipeline were approved, the U.S. would receive American petroleum or petroleum from a country with close diplomatic ties to the U.S.
The Missouri stretch of the Keystone Project has already been completed. The Canadian Energy Research Institute predicted the project would result in 2,900 jobs by a 2015 deadline and an economic value of $666 million for the state by 2025.
Eastlick said he had been conducting some research into the economic impact the Keystone XL Pipeline could have on Missouri, regardless of the final phrase not passing through Missouri.
“One of the manufacturers that will be providing resources and equipment is in Missouri,” Eastlick said. “This would add several thousand manufacturing jobs (in the country) in the near future if passed.”
The Keystone XL Pipeline has been met with controversy from oil refineries, environmentalists and members of Congress.
Landowners along the route and environmentalists oppose the pipeline. Many opponents criticize the U.S. for remaining dependent on fossil fuels.
According to a Pew Research Center poll, 66 percent of Americans approve the project, with 23 percent in opposition.
Regardless of some resistance, many lieutenant governors are committed to the project. Eastlick said Kinder’s involvement stems from a meeting a couple weeks ago with the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association.
“The issue was brought up there,” Eastlick said. “And it is an issue to a lot of different states, the issue of energy independence. The group thought of a promotion that all different governors could get on board. So he gladly signed on to the letter.”