Party lines split Wisconsin politicians on Keystone XL Pipeline
MILWAUKEE - The controversial Keystone XL Pipeline doesn't run through Wisconsin, but some of its jobs do.
Two Wisconsin companies were contractors on the pipeline to bring Canadian oil to the gulf coast. After President Joe Biden revoked the pipeline's permit, Wisconsin Republicans are putting up a fight.
The project has gone back and forth. The Obama administration rejected the permit, the Trump administration said yes, and, now the Biden administration has revoked it.
"On day one, Joe Biden comes out of the shoot and pops Canada right in the face," said Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin).
President Joe Biden
The president said the pipeline project would undermine the country's credibility on climate leadership. His revocation is part of a broader effort. "We’ve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis. We can’t wait any longer."
Michels Corp.
Wisconsin-based Michels Corp. was contracted to build pump stations for the pipeline. Federal election data revealed Michels executives donated tens of thousands of dollars to the 2020 campaign of Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin) -- one of the project's supporters.
"On Joe Biden’s first day in office, he killed thousands of American jobs. Joe Biden killed hundreds of Wisconsin jobs," said Steil.
Pipeline owner TC Energy estimated this year the project would have employed more than 11,000 Americans. However, an Obama state department report found most of those jobs would have been temporary construction employment -- leaving only a handful of permanent positions.
The president has emphasized his desire to create new energy jobs. "It’s climate day at the White House, which means that today is jobs day at the White House," said President Biden.
Keystone XL Pipeline
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) echoed that desire to create those green jobs. In 2018, Open Secrets found the League of Conservation Voters backed her with $93,000.
"My sense is the direction this president is leading us in -- tackling climate change, and renewal and clean energy solutions, and infrastructure that’s resilient to flooding and the other extreme weather events that we’ve had are going to -- in aggregate, create more good-paying, union jobs in America, than that one particular action," Baldwin said of the president rescinding the pipeline's permit.
Keystone XL Pipeline construction
Steil pushed back: "A future job doesn’t pay the mortgage, it doesn’t cover the rent, it doesn’t pay the grocery bill."
Republicans urge the president to reconsider his decision, but that is unlikely as it was a major campaign promise that he used to win over progressives within the Democratic Party.
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