WSJ: Obama Should Join Democratic Converts to Support Keystone

Support among Democratic senators for the Keystone XL oil pipeline has increased from a year ago, and President Barack Obama should get on the bandwagon, too, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial.

Last week, 17 Democratic senators joined all 45 Republicans in a vote supporting the pipeline, making up a pickup of six Democrats.

The six new converts include Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mark Warner of Virginia, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Chris Coons and Tom Carper of Delaware.

Their swing reflected a recent Fox News poll showing an increase in public support as well. According to the Journal, 70 percent of voters now favor the project that will deliver oil from shale sands in Canada.

Environmental concerns about the pipeline are overblown, the Journal editorial states. “Four government environmental impact statements in the last five years have concluded that the 1,700-mile pipeline would present no significant harm to the environment.”

The Senate vote “reflects the growing bipartisan consensus that a private investment creating tens of thousands of jobs trumps the scare tactics of environmentalists,” the Journal said. “The politician out of the mainstream here is Mr. Obama.”