House GOP oil puppets will attempt to ram Keystone through by attaching it to jobs bill

[wtmusic]

Speaker John Boehner says that the House will try again to tie approval for the Keystone pipeline project to a new jobs bill being introduced next week.

“All options are on the table. If it’s not enacted before we take up the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, it’ll be part of it,” Boehner said of the Keystone project, which would extend an oil pipeline from Canada through the United States.

Boehner led an unsuccessful effort to attach approval of the Keystone project to the extension of the payroll tax cut in December, but had to back down after not securing Senate support.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/boehner-house-will-likely-attach-keystone-approval-to-new-jobs-bill/

[doc03]

1. Nobody saw that coming? n/t

[wtmusic]

3. Since it's estimated to generate 20 permanent jobs

they have their work cut out for them.

[FBaggins]

6. That's just spin.

"Permanent" jobs come years later when the pipeline is constructed.

However many thousands of jobs exist during construction is what they'll point to.

And it's too easy to spin it. When the stimulus targted "shovel-ready jobs", how many of those road construction projects would result in even a single permanent job?

Nah... there are plenty of valid reasons to oppose the pipeline. Nonsense about how many of the jobs are "permanent" doesn't get us anywhere.

[truebrit71]

8. I think you missed the sarcasm in that post...

...the point being that the rethuglicans say it will create 20,000 jobs, when in fact those are all temporary jobs during the construction...

[FBaggins]

12. You seem to be making the same point.

You can't knock 20,000 jobs just because they're "temporary".

If it takes two or three years to build the pipeline, that's 20k jobs during the 2-3 years that we need them most.

Another example from the stimulus is the billions that we sent to the states that were used to keep from laying off teachers for one year. Is it reasonable for republicans to complain that a job "saved" for only one year isn't really a job that was saved? Not if that year is at the bottom of a recession.

Once again. Argue against the pipeline as a potential environmental hit. Argue against it as facilitating additional oil sands development that we don't want. But don't argue against it by saying "ah... those aren't important jobs anyway!"

[truebrit71]

13. We need to work on PERMANENT jobs, not just temporary ones that are used to justify raping...

..the environment...this sort of short-term thinking is one of the main reasons why we are in this mess in the first place..

[FBaggins]

14. As I said... that's spin that won't work

Even among the staunchest progressives.

When unemployment is high, 20k jobs for 2-3 years is not something to sneeze at. We have done it over and over and over again with ours eyes wide open. Who is going to buy the spin that suddenly we've changed our minds?

[OKIsItJustMe]

15. It works fairly well with me

I would much rather see 20,000 people employed rebuilding the parks built by the CCC (for example) than to have them building a pipeline to provide a market for tar sands.

Either way, they are temporary jobs. However, their effect on the future is quite different.

[FBaggins]

18. Your post refutes you title.

Progressive jobs programs for decades have been arguably "temporary" jobs.

So arguing against a project because it doesn't create permanent jobs is just silly.

There are better arguments (and better "temporary" jobs).

[OKIsItJustMe]

19. For me, claims like these

http://www.uschamber.com/sab

January 12, 2012

Tom Donohue, President & CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, outlined the Chamber’s 2012 policy agenda to expand the economy, create jobs, and boost America’s competitiveness in the global economy at thus year's State of American Business:

[font size=5]Produce American Energy and Rebuild Infrastructure[/font]

Approve the Keystone XL pipeline to put up to 250,000 Americans to work over the life of the project while preventing the EPA from enacting new regulations on fracking that sabotage a natural gas revolution. Complete Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, which is more than four years delayed, to strengthen our aviation system and deploy the NextGen air traffic control system. Renew surface transportation funding legislation before it expires in March and invest in water infrastructure.

…

http://www.speaker.gov/Blog/?postid=276195

…

FACT: The president’s failed policies are making the economy worse. By rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama destroyed 20,000 new American manufacturing and construction jobs and shipped energy to countries like China.

…

Just make me dislike the project all the more.


http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/204239-in-fight-over-keystone-pipeline-jobs-are-the-key-battleground

…

The 20,000 job figure comes from a study commissioned by TransCanada Corp., the company hoping to build the pipeline. As the Feb. 21 deadline for Obama to issue a final verdict on the project approaches, TransCanada released a more detailed explanation of its job estimate this week.

…

Environmental groups say the industry jobs numbers are greatly exaggerated, citing a study by the Cornell University Global Labor Institute.

The study says the pipeline will create “no more than 2,500-4,650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years.”

…

Opponents of the project also point to a study by the State Department that says the project will result in about 5,000 construction jobs.

…

[truebrit71]

16. ..It isn't spin...and the jobs won't last that long..

...this issue should be about the damage to the environment, and not some arbitrary inflated jobs number speaker Boner pulls out of his arse...

[badtoworse]

17. We have many construction workers in various trades in this country

By definition, their jobs are temporary and they depend on a steady stream of new construction projects to survive. How else would a carpenter, a steel worker, an electrician, an operating engineer, etc. earn a living?

[ProfessionalLeftist]

2. I hope Obama doesn't fall for that sh*t n/t

[truebrit71]

4. They can try all they want, but because it is an inter-continental pipeline, it STILL needs D.O.S...

..to sign off on it I seem to recall...

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Intercontinental?

What's the other one?

[truebrit71]

7. Sorry, wrong phrase...

...because it goes over an international border, it has to get the okay from State...TRANS-continental...

[OKIsItJustMe]

9. Or perhaps intracontinental

(But then that’s typical.)

[Dead_Parrot]

10. Or incontinental...

[OKIsItJustMe]

11. That’s just what the Republicans want

“Straightway, forthwith, at once, immediately, without delay;”†

† http://oed.com/view/Entry/93908