(WKBN) – Ohio Senator Rob Portman says the recent decision by the Biden administration to stop work on the Keystone XL Pipeline will do more harm than good for the nation’s economy.
The decision to stop work on the pipeline reverses an executive order signed four years ago by former President Donald Trump to allow the project to go forward despite complaints from environmental groups.
Portman says the new order will put thousands out of work at a time when the economy is already being hurt by the pandemic.
“We’ve got about twice the unemployment we had pre-COVID-19. In terms of percentage, it’s more like 7% instead of 3.5%. I don’t know where the new jobs are gonna come from but my hope is, we aren’t killing jobs right now, instead, we ought to be increasing jobs,” he said.
Portman says if the pipeline order is not reversed, Americans will end up paying more for fuel and the country will become more dependent on foreign energy sources.