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Every American should be watching as free people demonstrate the American Exceptionalism that refuses to be thwarted by the largest government bureaucracy ever seen in American history.
Free markets and ingenuity have answered the need for a cheap fuel source in spite of government’s attempts to shut down fossil fuel production.
On January 9th, 2015, the House of Representatives passed with overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle HR 3, The Keystone XL Pipeline Authorization Act, in spite of the heavy lobbying of liberal progressives and the environmentalists.
The bill now moves to the Senate for debate and a vote. Estimates are that the bill will easily pass in the Senate with similar bipartisan support. The Senate is expected to vote on or about January 20th.
Since the first fuel crisis in the 1970’s, we have seen reports and editorials about the dependence on foreign oil coming from places that are not always friendly to the United States’ interests. The Oil and Petroleum Export Cartel (OPEC) insured price controls through agreements on production levels. Added to that have always been international affairs in the region and domestic regulations from the EPA (and other agencies) that insured ever higher fuel costs and the stifling of an entire industry.
The federal government until now has only been able to wring it’s hands and tell us that we have to find other sources, bowing to the pressure of world oil domination from the Mideast and Russia.
All the world’s powers accepted this new paradigm of oil-based geopolitical power. They forgot an important part of international politics.
They forgot the tenacity and power of a free people.
From our very beginnings, Americans have been staunch and hearty individualists, rarely bowing to adversity, always overcoming whatever obstacles were placed in their path.
From places like Pymouth and Jamestown grew an export industry in tobacco, ship building, and other resources that were in high global demand.
Heavy-handed politics and regulations played a large role in our independence–and eventually a complete victory against the strongest military in the world at the time. We called it the American Revolution.
Only decades ago, Hydraulic fracturing was developed to squeeze a maximum amount of oil and gas from each well. More recently, technology was developed to allow drilling to expand horizontally, dramatically increasing output from each well.
As a result, inventories grew quickly; and more reserves discovered on private lands allowed for booms in Canada and North Dakota. No new exploration or drilling has been allowed on public lands for generations.
Before the innovations and technological breakthroughs, prices continued to rise. The increases were, of course, passed on to consumers in the form of higher retail costs; food and everyday products that depend on goods being transported quickly passed on those costs.
High energy costs and many other issues had stagnated job creation and wages as well. The middle class has been dwindling for 30 years.
Through it all, the American people could see through the fog that change is in order. They could hear opportunity knock from places like Alberta, Canada and North Dakota.
All the while, our federal government has insisted that we resort to so called “green energy.” Now, windmills dot the horizon in many areas, solar panels in others. Federal funds and grants flowed like water from Washington to new “green” industries like Solaris.
Even today, the environmentalists and progressives insist we continue to pursue this evasive and expensive technology, even while Europe is discovering the downfalls of many of these new systems.
In the midst of all this green talk, Americans see through the smoke and mirrors.
Now, public opinion has become so strong in this important area of the economy that Congress is forced to act, and in doing so to rely on the powers it was granted within that old dusty document, the Constitution of the United States.
Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States in part reads: “The Congress shall have the power…To regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with Indian tribes.”
Even with the objection of Nebraska’s Governor, the Environmentalists, an Indian tribe, and the Obama administration, Congress has realized they have the power to regulate commerce.
Even before the pipeline construction has been aproved, there are measurable improvements. Gas and oil prices continue to fall. The price of gasoline is under two dollars per gallon in many places.
The only clear distinction on all of this is our first principles. Our fundamental rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness allow for innovation. They allow for Creativity. They demand that we speak truth to power and motivate us to overcome any adversity to insure our prosperity, and our liberty to pass on to posterity.
In his famous speech “A time for choosing” in 1964, Ronald Reagan said, “it’s not that our liberal friends don’t know; it’s that what they know just isn’t so.”
This is an opportunity for our “liberal friends” to sit up and pay attention. America is Exceptional, and we won’t be denied for very long.
Photo credit: shutterstock.com
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