From: OMB Watch
Last week, Congressional Republicans slipped provisions into a payroll tax bill that would try to force the President to make an early decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project. Under the bill, President Obama would face a 60-day deadline to rule on the project, which has not yet received the legally required economic, environmental and safety reviews.
Though Congressional Republicans claim the project would create jobs, the Keystone XL is not the job-creation panacea it’s being made out to be. In fact, the Keystone project could actually cost taxpayers jobs.
The $7 billion Keystone XL would transport tar sands, which are more corrosive than crude oil, from Alberta, Canada, through America’s heartland to Texas. Thousands of communities face the prospect of having a major new pipeline flowing under their homes and businesses with all the risk of leaks and explosions that come with it. The Keystone oil pipeline project is opposed by many public interest organizations, but is supported by industry groups and many Republican lawmakers.
The Job Creation Myth
The pipeline company, TransCanada, says the project could create 20,000 “direct” jobs, most of them temporary. However, the oil company’s numbers are grossly inflated.
See the complete article here.