Matthew GuinnThe Alaskan Pipeline DebateThe proposed ”Keystone XL Pipeline” consists of a 1,700-mile crude oil pipeline that would bring more than 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil to the Dakotas, Montana, and Oklahoma. Which would then be sent to refineries in Texas. Since the pipeline will have to cross international borders with Canada it has to be passed by the state department. The Keystone XL would bring economicrelief by generating jobs and revenue. Upon approval, the pipeline would generate 40,000 manufacturing and construction jobs. In the long term, the pipeline would generate thousands of jobs needed to operate and construct the pipeline, as well as jobs to the refineries around the gulf. However, Republicans and Democrats are very split on this decision. But with the recent midterm election and with Republicans having the majority, things may change quickly.The Democrats are not in favor for the pipeline mainly for the environmental impact they believe the drilling and construction could have. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said it should be “out of bounds” given how destructive it would be. He also stated,Matthew Guinn“Every dollar that we spend today on developing and using more fossil fuels is another dollar spent in digging the graves of our grandchildren”. They also are wanting to seek different energy alternatives besides fossil fuels and possibly looking into spending money towards renewable energy sources. Democrats also said a main reason they opposed the bill was that it went against the president’s authority on a project his administration has been reviewing. Senator King from Maine also noted, “Congress is not—nor should it be—in the business of legislating the approval or disapproval of a construction project.” So overall it would be fairly easy to say that the Democratic Party is definitely against the pipeline.On the other side, you have the Republican Party who is strongly urging for this to be passed. They knew when it first went up for vote that they may not be able to convince enough Democrats to vote for the pipeline. However, they knew after the mid-term election they would have a majority in both houses so they stillpushed on. Republicans have countered the Democrats environmentally by sayingthat there are already thousands of miles of pipelines already existing in America. It could help the economy, increase revenue, provide jobs, and obviously give the USA more oil. This however isn’t a new topic of discussion, it was brought aboutMatthew Guinnin late 2011, and has passed the house many times. Ultimately it came down to the Republicans needing a majority.In my personal opinion I don’t see why the pipeline shouldn’t pass. The only negative side I can really see is the possibility of imminent domain happeningto people in America. I know people who’ve had property taken that way, and it’s not a fun thing to deal with. Also the fact that you’re getting your property taken and there’s nothing you can do about it. However I feel as though the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. It seems to be a very positive project for the economy, and anything that supplies jobs will be a good thing for Americans. Also, it will provide us with a lot more oil. Whether it makes us less dependent or not, any time we don’t have to get oil from the Mideast is good. Ultimately, I believe it would be a very positive project and it wouldn’t harm the environment more than any other pipeline that already exists in America. Also I am currently inGeology and we’ve learned about many different alternative energies. And in a lot of the cases(excluding wind) a lot of energy alternatives can be just as harmful to the environment as drilling for oil.With the Republicans for the pipeline and the Democrats going against the pipeline towards the end of a two year term, it really re-emphasizes the “do-Matthew Guinnnothing” Congress. At least to me it seems like the Democratic Senators were trying to have one last hoorah by putting down this bill to look better for re-election. It is also a prime example of the recent problems we’ve had in our Federal government and is obviously showing that we have very little bipartisanship. There were a few Democrats who did vote for the pipeline. But I believe until the two parties will put their ego’s to the side and work together, our country won’t reach its full