Opposition to the Keystone pipeline is irrational for two reasons.

First, the oil will be used whether we use it or not. China will be happy to buy the oil. Second, transporting the oil by train is worse for the environment than a pipeline. There are more spills, not to mention loss of life, as we have seen lately, using trains to transport the oil.

I consider myself to be an environmentalist and believe we should leave as small a footprint as possible. When making public policy, however, we need to use logic and reason, not emotion.

Those who are preventing the Keystone pipeline, including President Barack Obama, are not being rational. On one hand, we can refuse the tar sands oil and let China buy it, which means that the oil will have to be shipped over the Pacific Ocean with all the risk that goes with that method of transportation. Or we can build the pipeline, create tens of thousands of jobs, get it here with the least amount of risk to the environment or loss of life, and get cheap oil from Canada, our neighbor and friend.

David DicksonWinslow