Montana Senator Jon Tester (D) on Tuesday said President Joe Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline was a mistake. He came to the conclusion based on his personal experience as a farmer.
"I've been a supporter of the Keystone Pipeline. There have been two caveats and they've been basic caveats: you do it to the safety standards and you respect private property rights. I think the Keystone Pipeline folks could have done a better getting the Fort Peck Tribe on board and they need to continue working to do that but in the end I think it's a good project," Tester explained. "I believe in climate change but I also think this one pipeline isn't going to turn it around, isn't going to turn our climate around. It's not going to make it a markedly worse situations."
The Montana senator said he supports the Keystone Pipeline but he also supports research diving into greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, that are released into the air.
"These might sound like two different philosophies butting heads but I'll tell you, in my real life, I'm a farmer," he said. "And we're not where we need to be in this country for replacing diesel fuel with something else, in a tractor, for example, or a semi that's going down the road."
Tester explained that he supports the Keystone Pipeline project because significant research and development is needed for alternatives to conventional oil and gas. The market isn't there yet.
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester on the Keystone XL pipeline: "I believe in climate change, but I also think that this one pipeline isn't going to turn our climate around." pic.twitter.com/xGi14QKm0h
— The Hill (@thehill) February 2, 2021