Seventeen Senate Democrats vote for the pipeline. Mr. Obama?

An evolving political consensus persuaded President Obama to come out for same-sex marriage last year. Here's hoping the shifting political tides will also inspire a personal evolution on the Keystone XL pipeline.

For the past several years, a debate has occurred about the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline — a project that would transport more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta, Canada, (and North Dakota) through the Plains states to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Many controversial issues lend themselves to split-the-difference compromises, but the Keystone XL pipeline isn't one of them.

The project would create jobs for U.S. workers while adding to nation's energy security

The Keystone XL Pipeline, carrying Canadian crude oil from Alberta to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico could be a significant piece of America's drive to break its dependence on oil from unsavory places. That alone is a powerful incentive for approving the project.

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.

Pending before President Obama is a true economic stimulus plan. Unlike the $833 billion stimulus bill that was loaded with pet projects and wasteful government spending, this stimulus plan is privately funded and would not waste taxpayer dollars on yet another duplicative government program. Instead, this plan would bolster private sector job creation, would help secure America’s energy future, and would generate tax revenue and stimulate growth in South Dakota and throughout the country. This pending plan is the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

It has been a busy week for the much-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline. The proposed project, intended to carry heavy crude oil from Canada's Alberta tar sands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast, won approval on Tuesday from Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, after its planned route had been adjusted to address environmental concerns. The following day, 53 senators signed a letter to President Obama urging speedy federal approval. "There's no reason to deny or further delay this long-studied project," the senators said.

PRESIDENT OBAMA rejected the Keystone XL oil pipeline this time last year, a result that Canada had every reason to be dismayed by, as did Americans whom the project would have employed. The issue is coming back, and the president has even less reason to nix the project than he did last time.

Alberta's oilsands have been exploited for half a century already. But it is only during the past decade, as production grew to a large scale, that they have become the source of constant environmental criticism.

There are basically three positions on what we should do with the oilsands - and each choice has very unequal support among the Canadians, as revealed in a Leger Marketing recently released survey sponsored by my organization.

America was built on a secure and reliable supply of energy. Unfortunately, we are now plagued by policies and regulations that are making it impossible for us to take advantage of our resources and expand our economy. Projects like the Keystone XL pipeline are falling victim to politics, and it is time for those of us who have a stake in our future to speak out.