Tester Stays Hopeful For Pipeline
U,S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., still has hope for the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I don’t think that project is done yet,” Tester said during a phone conference call with weekly newspaper reporters on Thursday, Feb. 25.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order during January to revoke the pipeline’s cross-border permit.
The senator talked directory with Biden about the decision a couple of weeks ago.
“He acknowledged my disappointment,” Tester said of the president’s response.
Tester is hopeful that Biden and the premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe, can hold conversations in order to gain a better understanding of the project.
“The president needs to come back and talk to people on both sides of these issues,” Tester said.
Tester says his support of the project has been “steadfast” for about the last 10 years as long as the the pipeline’s construction is done in a responsible way and with American steel.
“Energy independence is essential,” the Democrat said.
Tester, a farmer, notes that climate change is real. “But we can’t pretend we don’t need fuel to power out equipment.”
The senator added that he has stressed that TC Energy needs to have conversations with tribal officers to decrease concerns regarding the pipeline’s potential impacts especially concerning clean water concerns.
“Communication is important,” Tester said. “They (tribal officials) just want to know what you are going to do.”
The senator also discussed the importance of COVID vaccinations and voting rights during the conference call.
He said the country’s economy can’t get back to normal until the majority of Americans have their vaccinations. He said a higher amount of vaccines should be coming to Montana in the next couple of weeks.
As far as attempts to change the voting process on a national level, “Democracy works best when you see a lot of people voting,” Tester said.
He noted that back when he served in the Montana legislature, both Democrats and Republicans worked hard to make voting easier for residents.
