Sen. Tim Scott slammed President Biden for his executive order revoking the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, which subsequently ended more than 1,000 jobs at one energy firm.
“Example 1: 1,000 good paying jobs gone and it’s just Day 3 of the Biden presidency. Keep in mind, this isn’t just 1,000 jobs, it’s 1,000 families,” the South Carolina Republican tweeted Saturday, linking to a report from the Hill.
“This week, I spoke to my friend @SenDanSullivan about Biden’s Executive Orders & he had said that 100s of Alaskan jobs are immediately at risk b/c of the unilateral actions on the American energy industry. These aren’t just statistics, they’re lives & families,” he continued.
Example 2: This week, I spoke to my friend @SenDanSullivan about Biden’s Executive Orders & he had said that 100s of Alaskan jobs are immediately at risk b/c of the unilateral actions on the American energy industry. These aren’t just statistics, they’re lives & families.(2/2)
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) January 23, 2021
A Canadian energy firm behind the Keystone XL pipeline, TC Energy Corp, announced last week it will lay off 1,000 workers after Biden’s executive order.
“I believe this will send a concerning signal to infrastructure developers that resonates far beyond our project and will stifle innovation for a practical transition towards sustainable energy,” said Keystone XL pipeline President Richard Prior in an email to employees announcing the layoffs.
Biden signed the executive order the day he was inaugurated, arguing that the pipeline must be stopped due to the “climate crisis.”
“The United States and the world face a climate crisis. That crisis must be met with action on a scale and at a speed commensurate with the need to avoid setting the world on a dangerous, potentially catastrophic, climate trajectory,” Biden said in the order.
Other Republicans have echoed Scott’s sentiment, saying Biden is working to “kill American energy projects” and jobs.
“It’s only day one, and with the stroke of a pen, Biden has already taken steps to kill American energy projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is critical to energy-producing states like Montana,” Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines said. “This project will create thousands of jobs, generate tax revenue for local communities, promote North American energy security and independence, and it is the safest and most environmentally friendly way to transport oil.”
“President Biden’s executive order will rob both American and Canadian workers of good-paying jobs… Currently, one thousand union workers are busy constructing the Keystone XL pipeline. When completed, the pipeline will ship oil from the Canadian and Bakken oil fields to American refineries along the Gulf Coast and across the Midwest,” Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso added.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also lamented Biden’s decision but added he understands the president must come through on his campaign promises.
“While we welcome the president’s commitment to fight climate change,” Trudeau said in a statement, “we are disappointed but acknowledge the president’s decision to fulfil his election campaign promise on Keystone XL.”
