With the election of President Joe Biden, one of the most controversial national policies became part of public conversation once again.
On his first day in office, President Biden took executive action to revoke a permit for the Keystone Pipeline. But to understand the controversy behind the pipeline, we have to start by looking at its timeline.
The Obama administration refused to grant a permit for the construction of the cross-country pipeline meant to carry tar sands oil from Canada to middle America back in November 2015. Upon entering office, however, President Trump immediately signed an executive order to grant a permit for the construction of the Pipeline.
But where exactly the agreement or disagreement with the pipeline come in? The type of oil, the tar sands oil, is more susceptible to leaks, and to mine, it means destroying habitats. This also means depleting and polluting freshwater resources, creating massive ponds of toxic waste. Many claim this is “harmful ” for the First Nations people who live near the land. Because of this, many leading economists and environmental scientists have opposed the project. Thomas Edison High School Government and Politics teacher, Mr. Heavey, agreed with the scientists and even said, “The Trump administration disagreed with the science of climate change, which scientists have argued is connected to fossil fuel consumption.”
However, proponents of the Pipeline argue the Pipeline will reduce oil prices and even create jobs. With this view, they heavily criticized President Biden’s stoppage of the Pipeline, citing a Facebook post that claimed, “Democrats couldn’t even get through Day 1 without killing jobs for middle class Americans.”
But what do everyday individuals think about the situation? Raidah Nasiri, a senior, weighed in on the subject . “It makes water toxic and dirty. It affects our land. Hell, it even speeds up the heating of the Earth,” Nasiri said.
Fardin Mamin, senior, said, “We should find an alternative,” when asked what will happen now since President Biden has stopped the Pipeline.
Though the situation regarding the Keystone Pipeline seems to have come to an end, people will continue to form opinions. Perhaps Republican candidates for the 2024 Presidential Election will even run on continuing the Pipeline’s construction.
