Editor’s note: Guest post from the good folks at Energy Nation.

With less than 30 days until President Obama must decide whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, the debate over this critical project continues to heat up in Washington. Once approved, the project will create 20,000 jobs, and bring secure supplies of oil from Canada and the U.S. upper Plains states to refineries on the Gulf coast. In order to win approval, API is working with our industry advocacy program, Energy Nation, to educate the industry community about the importance of this project.

Energy Nation is a service of API that provides opportunities for the people of America's oil and natural gas industry to learn about—and take action on—critical issues facing our industry. The Keystone XL project is one such issue where we have been communicating with our advocates, asking them to send letters to the President and calling on him to approve the pipeline. And now we must do more.

The President has until February 21, 2012, to determine whether the project is in the national interest and move forward with construction. Fortunately for him, the national interest is clear: jobs, economic growth and energy security.

The numbers are truly impressive and once approved, Keystone XL will lead to:

• Jobs: 20,000 jobs will be created and in total, the project will generate half a billion dollars in salaries.
• Economic growth: $6.5 billion worth of materials, services and local economic activity spanning the country and business sectors.
• Energy Security: 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada, as well as oil from the upper plains states in the U.S., to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast will add certainty to future supplies.

Approving Keystone XL is an opportunity to create 20,000 much-needed jobs and strengthen our country’s energy security—and we must ensure the president knows this.

As members of the oil and natural gas industry, we must make a true effort so the president knows where we stand. Energy Nation is doing just that. If you or a family member currently work in the industry, are vendors or suppliers to the industry, or a retiree of the industry, please take a moment to sign up and let the president know that he should approve Keystone XL.