Keystone XL

Chamber Chief Says Energy Can Lead Economy Revival

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The US “is on the cusp of an energy boom that is already creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, revitalizing entire communities, and reinvigorating American manufacturing,” said US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue as he laid out the Chamber’s priorities for 2012.

In his annual “State of American Business” report, delivered Thursday in the Italianate Hall of Flags in the Chamber’s Lafayette Square headquarters, Donohue highlighted energy first as a sector offering vast promise in jobs and revenue to help revitalize the US economy, but only if domestic resources are developed. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 13, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Energy Voters As A Political Power: AOL Energy Comment

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Can the millions of workers in the US energy sector, their families and neighbors, and the millions more whose lives are built on energy activities, be convinced to vote their concerns about an industry?

In other democracies workers in individual sectors often view their politics through their professional and industrial identities, while many recent election races in the US have hinged on political identities rooted in social values as much as economic beliefs. While the US energy sector remains one of the country’s largest employers and most visible sources of economic vibrancy, its natural constituents rarely raise its issues in their lists of concerns politicians (and presidential hopefuls) should address. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 6, 2012 at 3:30 PM

What The Payroll Tax Deal Will Do

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Well, that was painful. The House and Senate on Friday finally approved and President Obama signed into law a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut and federal unemployment benefits, and staved off a steep cut in pay to Medicare doctors. But, once again, Congress took a tortured path. And on legislation that, in the scheme of things, was a modest stopgap measure whose main provisions enjoyed bipartisan support. After nearly a week of adamant House Republican opposition, Speaker John Boehner relented Thursday night, announcing that he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had struck a deal on a bill that the Senate passed on Dec. 17. This article is a linkout. Photo Caption: Air Force One lifts off shortly after President Obama signs the Payroll Tax Cut Extension.

 /  Published December 27, 2011 at 2:00 PM

Obama Aides: Keystone Pipeline Inclusion ‘Is Absolutely Not A Blink’

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At a press conference on Dec. 7, President Obama warned congressional Republicans not to attach a controversial crude oil pipeline from Canada through the U.S. to a bill extending a year-old break on people’s payroll tax. “Any effort to try to tie Keystone to the payroll tax cut, I will reject,” the president said, standing next to his Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Ten days later, Republicans, with the help of sympathetic Democrats and lawmakers who just wanted to get a deal done, did just that. By a vote of 89 to 10, the Senate voted on Saturday morning to extend the payroll tax cut for two months. Included in the bill was language requiring the State Department to issue a permit within 60 days to proceed with the 1,700-mile oil pipeline. The inclusion, on its surface, goes directly against the president’s veto threat. But the White House has no plans to torpedo the measure. At a briefing with reporters following a short statement by the president, senior administration officials made the case that their position on the pipeline had not been affected. This article is a linkout.

 /  Published December 19, 2011 at 1:15 PM

Keystone Pipeline: How Many Jobs Would It Really Create

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The Keystone pipeline project is back in play as part of the payroll-tax cut debate, and Congressional Republicans say it would create jobs. But there’s a wide range of estimates, with one forecast that Keystone could actually cost jobs. The 1,700-mile long pipeline would transport crude oil from Canada’s oil sands region in Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Obama administration pushed back the project last month pending a review from the State Department, but Republicans want to bring it back as a sweetener to approve an extension of the payroll-tax break and federal unemployment insurance. The House passed a measure Tuesday that would tie tax cuts to Keystone approval. TransCanda (TRP), the company that wants to build the pipeline, says Keystone would create 20,000 “direct” jobs. That includes 13,000 construction jobs and 7,000 jobs making stuff like pump houses and the pipe itself. This article is a linkout.

 /  Published December 19, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Across Party Lines: AOL Energy Politics Year In Review

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Energy politics have been more partisan than ever this year.

Republicans have been consistently supporting incumbent fossil fuel electricity generators–nuclear, coal and natural gas–while Democrats have been vocally supporting emissions regulations, renewables loan guarantees and tax incentives as well as increased taxes on oil and gas companies. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 28, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Alberta Premier: We Need To Take A Proactive Role In Keystone XL Discussion

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On her way from Washington DC to Ottowa, Alberta Premier Alison Redford stopped by the Canadian consulate in New York City on Tuesday to tell her side of the Keystone XL pipeline story.

She said she has no sense of the time line for Keystone XL and had no comment on the internal American regulatory process. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 17, 2011 at 10:30 AM
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