The House of Representatives passed a resolution asking President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, but not all members were in favor. House Concurrent Resolution 1006 was approved 57-11 and recommends authorizing the pipeline. The project is expected to bring economic benefits such as job creation and tax revenue, but has been stalled for more than two years. Representative Troy Heinert spoke in opposition to the bill. Heinert says the pipeline will flow through three major water sources and have the potential to harm all lives.
“As a Lakota man, it is my duty to protect the two-legged, the four-legged and Unci Maka—that is grandmother earth. That’s why I stand before you today. This pipeline is flowing through the heart of the great Sioux reservation, which was established by the Treaty of 1868, which me and my family and my constituents still honor. I heard of all the job creation, but at the expense of who? I say it’s at the expense of us,” Heinert says.
Other opponents say anything manmade has the potential to break, which would endanger the water supplies the pipeline crosses. Representative Jim Bolin supports the resolution and says the petition coincides with the president’s desire to reduce unemployment rates. He says the routing issues with the pipeline have been figured out and a decision should be coming soon.
“So today, I’m asking this legislative body to join with labor unions, business people, local governments and a host of others to call on our current administration to authorize this badly needed project. The president has said that we need to expand job creation and to revitalize the middle class. Well, here’s a great opportunity to do so with private capital,” Bolin says.
Along with Bolin, other supporters say the pipeline will reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil and bring tax revenues.