The new Republican Congress is sworn in and ready to work. Its first task is to pass a bill that would permit a massive shovel-ready infrastructure project that will create thousands of jobs. This might sound familiar, as it is a bit like what President Obama did when he first took office. The only difference is that this project is privately funded — it won’t cost taxpayers a dime — and it is an oil pipeline that Obama’s radical environmentalist base opposes.

It became clear during the last Congress that the bill to permit construction of the Keystone XL pipeline has bipartisan support. Its new version has 60 Senate co-sponsors, meaning there is no question of a filibuster and so it will easily pass both houses. The project will not only put many more Americans to work immediately and in the short run, but it will also have a lasting stimulative effect. It will help the booming oil industry in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana get its product to market more cheaply and safely than the current arrangement by rail. It will also help promote North American energy independence.