A sampling of recent editorial opinion and commentary on the Keystone XL pipeline project:

Nature.com

… regarding the Keystone pipeline, the administration should face down critics of the project, ensure that environmental standards are met and then approve it. … By approving Keystone, Obama can bolster his credibility within industry and among conservatives. The president can also take advantage of rising domestic oil and gas production to defuse concerns over energy security.

Houston Chronicle

President Obama has run out of reasons to block expansion of the Keystone XL Pipeline. With the sign-off by Nebraska's governor on a new route for the pipeline that avoids environmentally sensitive areas in the Cornhusker state, the president should give the project the green light... more »

More than 97 percent of stock in U.S. oil and natural gas companies is held by the public, including many Americans who depend on these earnings to secure their retirements through investments in IRAs, 401(k)s and pension funds. So when oil and natural gas company earnings are strong, it’s good news for retirees. In fact, we conducted a study showing that public pension funds benefit greatly through investments in oil and natural gas industry stocks.

A follow-on recent study showed some of America’s most important institutions – its colleges and universities – realize a significant economic benefit as owners of oil and natural gas companies.

Over the last decade America’s colleges and universities have enjoyed strong returns from their investments in the industry, which have outpe... more »

Two pieces of new polling info linked to the Keystone XL pipeline.

First, Rasmussen reports that the project, after more than four years on the Obama administration’s “to do” list, enjoys support from 59 percent of those surveyed. Just 28 percent oppose. Strong supporters (34 percent) outnumber strong opponents (10 percent) by more than three to one. There’s been strong support for the Keystone XL in polls by Fox News and Pew Research.

Speaking of Pew, last week they released another of their periodic surveys showing the issues Americans think are most important as President Obama and Congress get to work this year. Topping the list is strengthening the economy (86 percent say it’s a “top priority”), followed by improving the job situation (79 percent) and reducing the budget deficit... more »

This week API, on behalf of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, furnished comments on the Energy Department’s 2012 study of the impact of exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG). You can read them in full here, but let’s cover some of the main points:

The U.S. has ample natural gas reserves …

We are the world’s leading producer of natural gas and a global leader in overall natural gas resources, with technically recoverable shale natural gas and total recoverable U.S. natural gas estimated by:

• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) – 542 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) shale; 2,203.3 Tcf overall.
• ICF International – 1,942 Tcf shale; 3,505 Tcf overall.
• Potential Gas Committee – 687 Tcf shale; 1,898 Tcf overall.

.. that will amply support domestic and export marke... more »

More video interviews from the recent State of American Energy event in Washington, D.C. In this clip Devon’s Richard Sawaya and Paula Jackson, interim president and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, talk about energy development under pro-growth policies as a dynamic economic engine. Jackson:

“If you don’t think energy is a driver for the economy, go to a place where they don’t have access to energy and see what that looks like.”

The video: