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The Keystone Pipeline Myth Machine – 2012 Election Edition
By Peter LaFontaine | National Wildlife Federation
Thursday, September 06, 2012
The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is one of the most controversial environmental issues in years and has already figured prominently during this election season. President Obama rejected the original proposal back in the beginning of 2012 but is now considering a slightly modified blueprint. Meanwhile, Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has promised he would approve KXL on his first day in office, saying “I will build that pipeline if I have to myself.”
It’s a topic that has transcended facts to become a political litmus test, but the truth is more complicated than Mr. Romney and Keystone XL’s owner, TransCanada, are admitting. And President Obama isn’t off the hook by any means, as there remain concerns that his Administration may not factor climate change — the million dollar question — into their analysis. Here are some of the biggest myths about KXL, and the facts behind this massive threat to our wildlife and the planet’s future.
MYTH #1: Keystone is a jobs juggernaut.
FACT: On their website, TransCanada asserts that Keystone XL will create 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs, and 118,000 “spin-off” jobs. Pro-Keystone politicians have consistently parroted these claims, but TransCanada’s job numbers are complete fabrications: The Washington Post fact-checkers gave these claims two “Pinocchios” and, according to the Cornell University Global Labor Institute, “The company’s claim that KXL will create 20,000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs in the U.S. is not substantiated” and “KXL will not be a major source of US jobs, nor will it play any substantial role at all in putting Americans back to work.” In fact, the State Department’s own study, which many pipeline opponents felt was tilted pro-industry, suggests that far fewer jobs will be created and most of them will be temporary and non-local.
To read the rest of the 8 myths, visit blog on originating page.
Tagged with: keystone xl, pipeline, election, us
