The Wall Street Journal has a great editorial today on the Keystone XL pipeline. Here is some from the beginning:

With 9.1% unemployment and gasoline prices in the stratosphere, President Obama must sometimes wish that some big corporation would suddenly show up and offer a shovel-ready, multibillion-dollar project to create 100,000 jobs and reduce U.S. reliance on oil from dictatorships. Oh, wait. His Secretary of State has had that offer sitting on her desk since she was sworn in. The trouble is that the Administration can't approve it without upsetting its anti-fossil fuel constituency. And so the proposal sits.

the middle:

Today those [Gulf Coast] refineries are highly dependent on imports from Mexico and Venezuela, which have decreased output in recent years. TransCanada would help to... more »

On this blog, we strive to provide an informative, timely and fair discussion about a variety of energy-related topics. In the spirit of those ideals, I recently came across another energy discussion forum on Chevron's website--willyoujoinus.com.

Since launching the discussion area in September, willyoujoinus.com is now hosting eight different energy discussion areas that range from access to alternative energy, providing an outlet for everyone to discuss these important issues.

For example, user "jgotthold" offered this information about alternative energy projects to the discussion:

"On almost a daily basis, scientists announce some nanotechnology breakthrough which has the potential to improve fuel cells, hydrogen storage, wind power development, tidal wave development and all the oth... more »

The numbers are staggering. The impact the oil and natural gas industry has on the U.S. economy is massive. It supports:

• 9.2 million jobs;
• 7.5 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product; and paid
• $95.6 billion in income taxes in 2008

Many state economies also depend on the oil and natural gas industry. For example, in Louisiana alone there are 330,053 oil and natural gas jobs, accounting for more than 13 percent of the state's total jobs. Without the industry, millions of Americans would be out of work, and the United States would lack the domestic energy needed to power the economy.

More oil and natural gas development equates to... more »

Thus far, nearly 170,000 Americans have participated in the Virtual Rally for Jobs. In fact, the online rally has been such a success that it's been extended through the rest of this week (until Friday, October 1).

Among the thousands of rally participants are leaders of various organizations whose members depend on reliable and affordable energy--and many whose jobs are supported by the oil and natural gas industry. In the videos below, they have stepped forward to encourage Americans to get involved.

Karen Kerrigan is president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, an organization representing roughly 70,000 members. Karen joined the Virtual Rally for Jobs because of the energy industry's importance to America's small business and entrepreneurial sector.

Harry... more »

There have been numerous reports published over the last few months about the impact of the administration's de facto drilling moratorium on jobs and the economy in the Gulf region. The latest report released yesterday is authored by LSU professor Dr. Joseph Mason who finds that the Gulf region will lose more than 19,500 jobs, $5 billion in economic activity and nearly $240 million in state and local tax revenues during the six-month moratorium.

It's important to note that the 19,536 job loss estimate from Mason's report is 40 to 60 percent higher than the 8,000 to 12,000 jobs lost that the Obama administration estimated earlier this month, reflecting a significant difference between the two studies.

In the report, Dr. Mason is critical of the administration's analysis:

The Inter-Agency... more »