Keystone Pipeline makes 'cents' for the U.S.

It has been more than six years since backers of the Keystone XL Pipeline first submitted an application to the U.S. State Department to begin construction. This crucial project would build needed infrastructure while creating thousands of jobs and promoting energy independence. Congress demanded action; President Obama should not make us wait.

In 2012, President Obama made it clear that he would rather please environmentalists than create jobs in America when he rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline. His decision effectively killed the 42,000 jobs that the project would create in the U.S. As a result, 42,000 families could not benefit from the certainty of a good paying job. Last week, I voted for legislation to authorize the full construction of the pipeline and prevent President Obama from killing thousands of American jobs.

President Obama's rejection of the Keystone project not only killed American jobs, it put our great nation's energy stability and security at risk. Gasoline reached $4 a gallon in parts of the country this summer. With continued turmoil in the Middle East, America must focus efforts to secure stable, safe and less expensive energy resources closer to home. The Keystone Pipeline is one of the best solutions to this problem, ensuring stability with an additional source of energy in North America.

When the President rejected Keystone, he said that his administration did not have enough time to consider its environmental impact. The truth is -- the project had been in the works for more than three years and was on track to begin immediate construction. President Obama stepped in at the last minute to put a halt to this crucial project. Now, the House of Representatives is holding President Obama's feet to the fire by voting to approve the Keystone Pipeline and put Americans to work.

President Obama's overly partisan nature cripples our government's ability to pass productive, meaningful legislation. The rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline was a political maneuver that killed American jobs and made our country more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. The House of Representatives will continue to demand that this important project becomes reality -- creating jobs, a more stable economy, and new access to North American energy.

Jason Smith is the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th Congressional District.